28 Jun Matariki Kāinga Hokia

Ka whakaeke te iwi ki runga o Pākirikiri marae i te 9 ki te 10 o Hune ki te wānanga i ngā kōrero mō Matariki, he mea whakarite nā Te Aorere Pewhairangi me tōna hūnuku. Maringanui ana tō mātou kaimahi, a Ranginui Rikirangi-Thomas i te karanga kia tae hoki ki reira hei pakahiwi kaha mō ōna hoa e whakahaere nei i te kaupapa, mō te pūkōrero hoki, mō Rangi Mātāmua. E rua rā te iwi e whakamīharo atu ana ki ngā kōrero a Tākuta Rangi Mātāmua, i runga hoki i te mōhio ka whakatūhia e rātou tō rātou ake Umu Kohukohu Whetū ki te ākau o Tokomaru. Hei te 14 hoki o Hūrae hui katoa ai ngā uri ki roto o Tokomaru Ākau, ki reira pānui ai i ngā tohu o te tau.

Our pouārahi, Ranginui Rikirangi-Thomas, travelled to Tairawhiti to support his peers and keynote speaker, Dr Rangi Mātāmua, at the recent Matariki ki Tokomaru kaupapa. Organised by Te Aorere Pewhairangi and his whanau, the hapori gathered at Pākirikiri Marae earlier this month to learn and share knowledge regarding Matariki. Dr Mātamua is renowned for his role communicating his mātauranga about Matariki in an accessible and engaging way and this wānanga was no exception.

The theme of this year’s Matariki awareness campaign is ‘Matariki Kāinga Hokia – Matariki calls you home’. With a goal to inspire people to return home and spend quality time with their loved ones, the campaign aims to capture the wairua while speaking to New Zealanders of all ages and backgrounds and encourage their participation in Matariki.

An Umu Kohukohu Whetū for Tokomaru will be conducted on the national holiday for Matariki on 14 July 2023.

You can learn more about Matariki and the mahi of Dr Rangi Mātāmua at Living by the Stars and you can read more about the Matariki awareness campaign, ‘Matariki Kāinga Hokia – Matariki calls you home,’ here.