So you want to celebrate Matariki?

Do you want to celebrate Matariki but don’t know how? Are you unsure what Matariki is? In our home, we love Matariki. Here’s a wee guide to what we do and what you can do too.

First of all, let’s start with the basics: What is Matariki?

Matariki is a cluster of stars - other people might call it Pleiades. The name comes from the phrase ‘Ngā mata o te ariki Tāwhirimātea’, ‘the eyes of the god Tāwhirimātea’.

Sometimes it’s called Māori New Year, which in Reo Māori is ‘te Mātahi o te Tau’. Basically, the rising of Matariki in the morning sky (just before dawn) is a sign for people to come together, to remember our late loved ones, celebrate the present, and prepare for the future.

It’s also now a public holiday that usually falls on the last Friday in June; this year, it's this Friday 10 July.

When is Matariki?

We, as a whānau, tend to do Matariki ‘when we can see Te Huihui o Matariki’ (the cluster of stars of Matariki), or just ‘when we can’. But generally, the dates vary. This is because different iwi celebrate Matariki at different times, due to their different locations and also just different ways of doing stuff.

Everyone celebrates it in June or July, though. Also, just so you know, some iwi in Whanganui, Taranaki, the Far North and the South Island refer to this period as Puanga rather than Matariki. In my whare, because my tamariki are Taranaki Whānui, we most often call Matariki Puanga or Puaka. Puaka is the Moriori Rēkohu version of Puanga.

If you’re not sure which one suits your region - it’s really just which collection of stars you see first - Matariki or puanga. Here’s a cute video about it to share with your tamariki out of my fave place Palmy lol.

How do I wish people a Happy Matariki?

You can say Mānawatia a Matariki! Or Ngā mihi o Matariki, te tau hou Māori!

How do I celebrate Matariki/Puanga?

You can celebrate it any way you like, really. I’ll tell you what we do…first of all my husband always makes soup that we eat on the first night of Puanga.

We draw all of the stars together as a whānau - each of us picking a favourite star and we do the Matariki star altogether. We then stick them on our window. If you don't want to draw them, you can print them from this template.

• Matariki: The māmā star
• Pōhutukawa: The remembering star
• Tupuānuku: Food from below (the ground) and plants we love
• Tupuārangi: Food from above and birds we love
• Waitī: The freshwater star
• Waitā: The saltwater star
• Waipunarangi: The rain star
• Ururangi: The wind star
• Hiwa-i-te-rangi: The wishing star

We also say the names of the people we love and have lost to Pōhutukawa - the star that honours those who are now gone from this world.

We will call their names and recite this karakia -

E tū Pōhutukawa e
Te kaikawe i ngā mate o te tau
Haere rā koutou ki te uma o ranginui
Haere ki te kete nui a tāne
Koia rā! Kua whetūrangitia koutou! Aroha mai! Aroha mai!

Behold Pōhutukawa
Who carries t he dead of the year
Onward the departed to the chest of the sky
Onward into the milky way
Indeed! You have become stars! So loved! So loved!

Over a few days, we make wishes to Hiwa-i-te-rangi - the wishing star. We share soup with neighbours and friends in honour of Tupu-ā-rangi and Tupu-ā-nuku - the stars for kai above and below. We try to get in a beach walk to honour Waitā, the star for the ocean. And to the stream for Waitī the star for fresh water. We don’t really do anything for Ururangi and Waipunā-ā-rangi because it’s always windy and rainy at this time of year in Te Whanganui-a-Tara lol.

Here’s a karakia for your kai:

Nau mai ngā hua
Nau mai ngā pai
Nau mai kia nui
Kia hāwere ai

Welcome all things that have grown
Welcome all things that are good
May they be plentiful and abundant

We usually join a community event as well, to mark the beginning of Puanga Matariki. And we do a kai shop and donate it to the food bank.

Every whānau ‘does’ Matariki differently and there’s no one way to ‘do’ it. This is just the traditions we have rolled into.

I’d love to know what you do - what traditions you’re starting in your whānau…Here are some things you can do with the kids and links that might help:

• Tips for how to celebrate if you don’t know where to start.
• How to celebrate Matariki at home.
• Weave stars with your kids (we don’t do this activity because I find it infuriating lol)
• Matariki activities
• Matariki crafts for kids
• How to find the Matariki cluster
• Books for kids for Matariki

Here’s a good clip of the waiata that helps you learn the nine stars of Matariki!

For some folks, Matariki is a time of rejuvenation and reset for both people and planet. I reckon it's a good time to consider actions you can take to care for Papatūānuku, like reducing how much plastic you use or how much dairy you consume over the course of Matariki.

This year's Matariki celebrations will stream live from Takaparawhau on TVNZ+ at 6am on Friday. The theme for 2026 Matariki is - Matariki Herenga Waka – For Everyone. There are, of course, lots of events all across the motu to go to:

The Best NZ Matariki Events to Add to Your Calendar | Capsule NZ

Here’s our guide to the best Matariki events on throughout the motu this month - including plenty of free events for the family

Capsule NZAlice Hampson

So that’s it! I hope you have a very happy Puanga or Matariki. And I’d love to hear how you’re celebrating. Arohanui! Mānawatia a Matariki!

Thank you for being here with me at Emily Writes Weekly. I am grateful for each and every one of you. Arohanui, me rongo, all my love, Emily.

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