Tomorrow, July 10, New Zealand celebrates Matariki Day, a public holiday since June 2022. Matariki is the Māori name for a cluster of seven stars that appears in the early morning sky in New Zealand during midwinter. The constellation of these seven stars is known as Pleiades or Seven Sisters in Western culture, but is known as Matariki by the Māori, New Zealand’s indigenous Polynesian population. In Māori culture, Matariki is typically celebrated for a period of days during the last quarter of the moon of the lunar month Pipiri (around June-July).
For the Māori, Matariki marks the Maori new year, as the reappearance of the Matariki stars brings the past year to a close and marks the beginning of a new year. Many Māori will celebrate the day with a Hangi, a traditional Māori meal that is cooked in a pit oven in the ground. People will view the Matariki constellation in the sky to predict the coming year. People also remember their dead and honor their ancestors.
The seven stars of Matariki are:
- Matariki — the mother star, signifying reflection and renewal
- Pohutukawa — the remembrance star, associated with those who passed away
- Waiti — the freshwater star, responsible for life that freshwater brings
- Waita — the star of the ocean, responsible for providing seafood
- Tupuanuku — the star of food, associated with the earth and crops
- Tupuarangi — the star of music, responsible for inspiration and creativity
- Uruarangi — the star of the winds, signifying change and new beginnings
Most of New Zealand’s ski fields will be open for Matariki day.
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Mānawatia a Matariki
This week Kiwis around the globe will be celebrating Matariki, the Māori new year.
Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. Under the Māori lunar calendar, the reappearance of Matariki in the mid-winter night sky heralds the start of a… pic.twitter.com/3FP9us1ua2
— NZ in Australia (@NZAustralia) June 15, 2025