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Illustration of the Matariki star cluster
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Matariki: The Māori New Year Matariki: Te Tau Hou Māori

Matariki is a time to gather with family and friends to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future.

Here you can learn all about the Māori New Year and the Maramataka.

  • A starry sky over a darkened landscape
    Taikura Kapa Haka 2021

    Taikura Kapa Haka 2021

    Historically, Te Papa has hosted the annual Taikura Kapa Haka event as part of our Matariki celebrations, welcoming kaumātua groups from throughout Aotearoa. This year, we’ve used a new approach and have captured each group as they perform kapa haka within their own rohe, as well as interviews with members of that group about their experiences within Taikura Kapa Haka and what this means to them in 2021.

  • Matariki Dawn ceremony at Te Papa
    What is Matariki?

    What is Matariki?

    Matariki signals the Māori New Year. It is a time of renewal and celebration in New Zealand that begins with the rising of the Matariki star cluster.

  • Night sky in Canterbury
    Matariki star facts

    Matariki star facts

    Get the facts about Matariki – a star cluster known worldwide and treasured in Aotearoa New Zealand.

  • Two men fish with an eel trap. Blocks have been put up in the water to guide the eel into the trap
    The Matariki star cluster – are there seven or nine stars?

    The Matariki star cluster – are there seven or nine stars?

    For some people the Matariki star cluster is made up of seven stars, while for others it’s nine. So which is it? Both.

  • Maramataka dial is displayed on a wall. To the left, a plant hangs into the frame. To the right, a taxidermied penguin appears in the frame. Under the dial can be seen an open book
    How to use the Maramataka | Māori lunar calendar

    How to use the Maramataka | Māori lunar calendar

    Print a Maramataka dial, explore its energy levels, and use it to plan activities with your whānau.

  • A man stands in front of a picture of the night sky
    Watch: How to find the Matariki star cluster

    Watch: How to find the Matariki star cluster

    Educator Martin Langdon shows us how to find the Matariki star cluster during the Māori New Year, which falls in the month of Pipiri (June–July).

  • Cover of the Matariki activity book
    Matariki activity book

    Matariki activity book

    Learn about Matariki through fun kids' activities. Featuring word searches, colouring pages, games, and stories.

  • Uncle Pare stands in his kitchen. He wear a black and white striped shirt, black scarf, glasses, and a black brimmed hat. His kitchen is overflowing with a well organised array of bottles, utensils, plates, and jars
    Uncle Pare’s kai: Matariki recipes and kōrero

    Uncle Pare’s kai: Matariki recipes and kōrero

    Uncle Pare’s earliest kai memory is parāoa koroua cooked on hot embers. Watch his simple recipe as he describes how kai has shaped his life.

  • Photo showing flax still attached to plant, weaved into what appears to be a fish design
    Matariki making memories teaching resource

    Matariki making memories teaching resource

    Use this guide to learn ten ways to create your own digital keepsakes to celebrate Matariki this year, and in the future.

  • Matariki star cluster
    Quiz: How much do you know about Matariki and the Maramataka?

    Quiz: How much do you know about Matariki and the Maramataka?

    Have a read through our online Matariki and Maramataka information before testing your knowledge on the Māori New Year and traditional lunar calendar.

  • Two young men work to prepare food for a hāngī. The first is using a spatula to check on food from the hāngī while the second is lifting the food from the pit. Three women and another man are in sight around the hāngī pit.
    Celebrate Matariki with these whakataukī

    Celebrate Matariki with these whakataukī

    Matariki is a time to reflect, share stories, and plan for the New Year. It’s the perfect time to connect with whakataukī (proverbs) and learn from the wisdom of those who came before us.

  • A group of people sing under a tree
    Songs that celebrate Matariki

    Songs that celebrate Matariki

    Enjoy these three waiata (songs) that celebrate Matariki and learn a little about the background and meaning of each song.

  • Someone holding a candle
    How to celebrate Matariki at home

    How to celebrate Matariki at home

    Read some tips on how you can easily celebrate Matariki at home with your friends and whānau.

  • Dr Rangi Matamua speaking on Te Papa's marae
    Listen: Matariki and Māori astronomy with Dr Rangi Matamua

    Listen: Matariki and Māori astronomy with Dr Rangi Matamua

    Associate Professor Dr Rangi Matamua from the University of Waikato, has spent over 20 years researching Matariki. In this podcast he shares a Māori perspective of astronomical and cosmological links relevant to Matariki.

  • Māori women and children on riverbank peeling potatoes
    The legend of Matariki and the six sisters

    The legend of Matariki and the six sisters

    There are many legends about the star cluster Matariki. One of the most popular is that the star Matariki is the whaea (mother), surrounded by her six daughters, Tupu-ā-nuku, Tupu-ā-rangi, Waipunarangi, Waitī and Waitā, and Ururangi.

  • Shell trumpet
    Matariki waiata (song)

    Matariki waiata (song)

    Sing this Matariki waiata (song) with your tamariki (kids) and learn the names of the seven Matariki stars.

  • Still from the Matariki story video
    Watch: The Star Family of Matariki story

    Watch: The Star Family of Matariki story

    Hear Te Waari Carkeek, from Ngāti Toa Rangatira iwi, tell the story of how the seven Matariki stars use their special talents and skills to help their kuia, Papatūānuku (the earth), prepare for the new year.

  • The location of Puanga in the mid-winter sky
    The difference between Puanga and Matariki

    The difference between Puanga and Matariki

    Some iwi celebrate Puanga rather than Matariki. Che Wilson of Whanganui iwi explains why this is the case, and which iwi celebrate Puanga.

  • Puanga in the night sky (the brightest star in the photograph)
    Astronomers explain Puanga and Matariki

    Astronomers explain Puanga and Matariki

    Richard Hall, President of the Phoenix Astronomical Society, and Vice President Ian Cooper explain when we can see the star Puanga and why it’s linked to Matariki.

  • Three speakers talk to an audience
    Listen: Mātauranga Māori knowledge and science panel discussion

    Listen: Mātauranga Māori knowledge and science panel discussion

    Māori and non-Māori practitioners discuss how our understanding of the world has developed differently in different cultures.

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    What is the Maramataka | the Māori lunar calendar?

    What is the Maramataka | the Māori lunar calendar?

    The Māori calendar begins in Pipiri (June/July) with the reappearance of the Matariki star cluster signalling the New Year. Learn the names of the months and nights in the traditional Maramataka.

  • Photograph of moon, Great Melbourne Telescope, 1 September 1873, moon’s age 9.0 days, 1873, Melbourne, by Melbourne Observatory. Te Papa (O.000014)
    Months of the Maramataka | the Māori lunar calendar

    Months of the Maramataka | the Māori lunar calendar

    In the traditional Māori Maramataka, or lunar calendar, the new year begins with the first new moon following the appearance of Matariki (Pleiades) on the eastern horizon. Usually this takes place in the period June-July.

  • The New Moon over the mountains
    Nights in the Maramataka | the Māori lunar month

    Nights in the Maramataka | the Māori lunar month

    Discover the nights in the Māori lunar month, and the activities related to them.

  • Matariki star cluster
    Matariki for teachers

    Matariki for teachers

    Book a Matariki education visit for your ECE or primary students, and download Matariki and Maramataka teaching resources to use in your classroom.

  • Screengrab of video showing three women performing kapa haka
    Watch: Highlights from Taikura Kapa Haka

    Watch: Highlights from Taikura Kapa Haka

    Taikura Kapa Haka is a celebration of haka and waiata, presented by senior Māori performing artists from around Aotearoa New Zealand. In this highlights package, a member from each group introduces their favourite performance.

  • Ladies perform a waiata (song)
    Watch: Taikura Kapa Haka 2019

    Watch: Taikura Kapa Haka 2019

    A celebration of haka and waiata, presented by senior Māori performing artists from around Aotearoa New Zealand. Sat 22 – Sun 23 Jun 2019

  • Performers on stage
    Watch: Taikura Kapa Haka 2018

    Watch: Taikura Kapa Haka 2018

    Performed in June 2018 – A celebration of haka and waiata, presented by senior Māori performing artists from around Aotearoa New Zealand.

  • Ladies singing and dancing
    Watch: Kaumātua Kapa Haka 2017

    Watch: Kaumātua Kapa Haka 2017

    On the 24 and 25 June we welcomed 500 Māori elders from around the country for the Kaumātua Kapa Haka – the finale to our Matariki Festival.

  • People light tea lights and put them on the pond outside of Te Papa
    Watch: Te Papa’s 2017 Matariki Ritual

    Watch: Te Papa’s 2017 Matariki Ritual

    On Fri 16 Jun 2017 Te Papa held its first Matariki Ritual which marked the beginning of the Matariki Rising Festival. People from around Aotearoa, and the globe, came together to share stories, celebrate life, and remember those who passed in the last year.