Matariki Eve
A time to pause and reflect.
Mānawa maiea matariki e
Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi e
Mānawa maiea te matahi o te tau
Celebrate Matariki
Celebrate the lord of the heavens
Celebrate the beginning of the year
Writers: Tawaroa Kawana and Rangi-Ānehu Mātāmua.
Twas the night before Matariki, and all through the house
Coalition MPs cried, “There’s something else!”
We’ve challenged the treaty and Māori wards too
Prioritised English and said things that weren’t true.
Yet, surprisingly, after two and a half years of attacks on every Māori initiative, from recognising health outcomes to involving iwi in decisions to encouraging te Reo, tomorrow we celebrate Matariki, the Māori New Year that many New Zealanders have embraced. We take pride in our new public holiday, which is of this place, our Aotearoa at the bottom of the world, and that is symbolic of why the coalition will ultimately fail.
Not because Māori are never going to back down, have never ceded sovereignty, and have fought this government every step of the way, but that is true. Nor because others have joined Māori in recognising the injustices being committed.
But because of what is happening in our society, in our schools, at sporting events, and even overseas.
The child beaming inside as they perform kapa haka or sing, their te Reo pronunciation far better than their parents' ever will be. For example, this is the high school I went to, and I feel quite emotional hearing this beautiful waiata in a room where I used to loathe climbing ropes in PE.
The crowds at major events singing in te Reo, not just the anthem where we no longer mumble the Māori verses, but songs booming around the stadium in celebration. Who could ever forget this:
In foreign fields, where young Kiwis perform the haka bare-chested, not to mock but out of pride in their country, as nothing represents us more than that.
The small-minded bigots across the coalition can’t suppress a Māori renaissance they have only made more powerful, and, to be honest, I’m surprised they left us Matariki.
As you probably know, Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster, and its appearance in midwinter marks the Māori New Year, a time of celebration, remembrance, and looking to the future.
Where the Greeks referred to the cluster as the Seven Sisters, Māori astronomy recognises the following nine stars:
Matariki: The mother star, signifying reflection, hope, and the connection to the environment.
Pōhutukawa: Connects to those who have passed on.
Waitī: Ties to bodies of fresh water and the food within them.
Waitā: Ties to the ocean and saltwater foods.
Waipuna-ā-rangi: Associated with the rain.
Tupu-ā-nuku: Associated with food that grows in the ground.
Tupu-ā-rangi: Associated with food that comes from the sky (birds, fruit).
Ururangi: Associated with the winds.
Hiwa-i-te-rangi: The wishing star, associated with granting our desires for the coming year.
Matariki has been celebrated with feasting, singing, and dancing long before Pākehā arrived on these shores. It is a very positive and human event, which makes it all the more surprising to me that the coalition hasn’t cancelled it. Especially considering the politician who made it a public holiday and an event for the wider Kiwi public.
At the 2020 election, Jacinda Ardern and the Labour Party committed to creating a new public holiday to recognise Matariki. Following their victory, the first Matariki public holiday was announced on the 4th of February 2021 to take place in June 2022.
The Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act 2022 passed its third reading in April 2022.
“Matariki will be a distinctly New Zealand holiday; a time for reflection and celebration, and our first public holiday that recognises Te Ao Māori.” - Jacinda Ardern.
Not everybody was fully supportive of the move, and some argued that Matariki should replace an existing public holiday so that commerce wasn’t impacted, rather missing the point of the whole thing.
National said they supported the “cultural value” of Matariki but not if it meant introducing a new paid public holiday.
To be honest, given their current programme of austerity and whipping, I’m surprised that Nicola Willis hasn’t appeared on our screens to announce the cancellation of all our public holidays this year - for the good of the economy.
During the debate, then National MP Simon O’Connor suggested that we refer to the Pleiades, or Messier 45, rather than Matariki, which would presumably have had his constituents clutching their pearls in his seat of Tamaki, you know, the same electorate that gave us Brooke van Velden.
ACT opposed the bill, citing the costs to small businesses, consistent with their mantra that the non-wealthy should live to work, not the other way around.
Given the other things they have done, I’m genuinely surprised the coalition has not cancelled Matariki. Even those who have done all they can to disempower Māori and erase so much of the good work done over decades still don't want to be the party that cancelled a public holiday.
Matariki might be safe for now, but you know that if the coalition is re-elected, there will be more cuts, more anti-woke nonsense, and further erosion of Māori rights.
Even as laughing boy Luxon wishes people a Happy Matariki, despite having voted against the bill that gave us tomorrow’s holiday, there are things brewing, no doubt, as the coalition parties prepare to sprint to the election line.
Each party determined to show they are the one to crack down on all this woke nonsense. On crazy things like supporting the indigenous language of these shores or providing a seat at the table for our treaty partners to participate in decisions about the environment and resources.
It makes you want to scream in their faces, “Stop it! Can’t you see we are better together, that honouring commitments is something we should be proud of, not something to be legislated away - what the bloody hell are you so afraid of?”
If you’ve ever been moved by the generosity of people who’ve had so much taken from them, grateful that a marae has provided refuge for your community or others in times of disaster, or had the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end at the sound of the Pūrerehua whirring, you know this is all bullshit.
There is nothing to be afraid of; we know that. We’ve got eyes. The idea that Māori are privileged in this country on their land is beyond absurd. Every statistic shows that it’s a lie.
Matariki is a time for reflection, and I hope this year people reflect on the lies being told to us and the actions that are setting back progress in addressing real inequity, which the coalition prefers to pretend doesn’t exist.
The actions of this government make me ashamed, but the way NZers have embraced Matariki is something to be proud of. It points to a more united country in the years to come, where people will look back at this coalition government and ask, “What the hell were you thinking?”
Wishing you and your whanau a peaceful and happy Matariki. Let’s hope that by this time next year, those who divide us for political gain are gone, replaced by a government that recognises that the culture and role of the indigenous population of our land are what make this place special, and that we should embrace them rather than stoke fear, racism and distrust.
Ngā mihi,
Nick.
Or if you have a gold card, you’re a student, or unwaged, there is a 15% discount:
To end today, here is Mānawa maiea Matariki ft. Stan Walker, Hone, HERA, Hops, Neps, Rani.
Mānawatia a Matariki Nick and Nick's Kōrero whānau.
For those who have seen my various opinions here or in many other spaces online, it is no secret that I'm proud to be Māori. It sickens me to see how our current government have been so determined to destroy everything that Māori hold dear to them, whether that be Te Reo, Tikanga, our Taiao (environment), and sometimes it feels to me, our very existence and yet, this government seem quite happy when Marae are the ones to open their doors when Aotearoa has natural disasters. They are also happy to have pōwhiri and be shown manākitanga from mana whenua when they attend the many events they go to.
Matariki or Puanga, which is another cluster of whetū (stars) which some iwi celebrate, is a special time, not just for Māori, but for everyone in Aotearoa to remember those who have passed since the last rising of Matariki, it's a time to acknowledge the present and enjoy being with those you love through the sharing of kai, but it's also a time to set goals for the future. My goal is to make sure this current government gets tossed out.
Ngā mihi Dame Jacinda Ardern for acknowledging the importance of this special time.
What's good for Māori is good for everyone.
RBHS rendition of Hallelujah says it all - the new New Zealand is too good and strong to be despoiled by this coalition. Kia kaha!