Source: New Zealand Government
I tāpaea i te rangi nei Te Tohu o Matariki ki te iwi tūmatanui e te Minita mō te Kōtuinga o Ngāi Māori me te Karauna: Te Arawhiti, Kelvin Davis rāua ko te Minita Tuarua mō te Toi, te Ahurea, me te Tukuihotanga, a Kiri Allan.
Hei tā Kelvin Davis, “I te kaha ake o te mōhio haere a te katoa o Aotearoa mō Matariki, ka ara ake te kōrero mō tētahi tohu whakakotahi hei ārahi i te kaupapa o Matariki. Ka nui tō mātou ngākau whakahī ki te whakaatu i taua tohu i te rangi nei.”
Ka mana te whakanuia tuatahitia o Matariki hei hararei tūmatanui ā te 24 o Pipiri.
“Ka arahina e Te Tohu o Matariki te kaupapa o Matariki mō ngā reanga o āpōpō atu, ka āwhina anō ki te whakanoho mai i te mātauranga Māori ki te iho o ngā mahi whakanui i a Matariki ki tua. He taonga a Matariki, he wāhi ki te katoa kei ngā mahi whakanui i a ia.
“E whakaatu ana te tohu i te āhua o te whiri a Matariki i te taura here tangata, kua tūhonoa nei e ngā rā o mua, o nāianei, o āpōpō atu. He waitohu whakahiamo ka āwhina i a tātou ki te kōrero i ngā kōrero mō Matariki e tīmatahia ai te whakawhiti whakaaro mō te mātauranga Māori kei raro i tā tātou hararei hou.
Hei tā Kelvin Davis, “He takahanga whakamua hiranga te whakanui i a Matariki mō Aotearoa ki te whakatika i ngā rā o mua me te hīkoi atu ki āpōpō hei iwi o te ao hou nō Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.”
Hei tā Kiri Allan,“E aro ana Te Rā Aro ki a Matariki ki te tikanga Māori, ki te titiro a ngāi Māori ki tōna ao, e whakanuia ai ko wai tātou ā-motu nei. Ehara a Matariki i te hararei noa, he huarahi kē e tū ai te katoa ka āta whakaaroaro anō.”
Hei tāna anō, “Whakahiamo ana tēnei tūāhaere mō Aotearoa e tāpaea ai he painga ki tētahi taonga tuku ihoi ki ā tātou mokopuna me ngā reanga o āpōpō. E titiro whakamua ana ki te kite i ā tātou tamariki me Aotearoa nui tonu e ako ana, e kauawhi ana i te tikanga o te huihuinga e noho hiranga ana ki te tini o ngāi Māori.”
I te taha o ngā painga taha ahurea, taha pāpori ka hua mai i te hararei hou nei, ko te whakatau tata a MBIE mō ngā painga ohanga ā-tau ki te ao tāpoi o te motu kei tōna $110-$160 miriona.
Mānawatia a Matariki – celebrating Matariki
Te Tohu o Matariki was presented to the public today by Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti, Kelvin Davis and Associate Minister for Arts, Culture & Heritage Kiri Allan.
“With Matariki becoming increasingly familiar to all New Zealanders, kōrero arose around the need for a unifying tohu to guide Matariki kaupapa. We are incredibly proud to be able to share that tohu today,” Kelvin Davis said.
Matariki will be officially celebrated as a public holiday for the first time on 24 June.
“Te Tohu o Matariki will guide Matariki kaupapa for future generations and help centre mātauranga Māori at the heart of future Matariki celebrations. Matariki is a taonga, there is a role for all of us in this celebration.
“The tohu symbolises how Matariki weaves us together as people, interconnected through our past, present and future. It is an exciting emblem to help us tell the story of Matariki and begin those conversations about the mātauranga Māori underpinning our new holiday.
The celebration of Matariki is an important step forward for Aotearoa New Zealand in reconciling our past and stepping forward into the future as a modern, Pacific nation.” Kelvin Davis said.
“Te Rā Aro ki a Matariki is a recognition of tikanga Māori, of the Māori view of the world, and a celebration of who we can be as a nation. Matariki is not just a holiday, it is the opportunity for all to stop and reflect,” Kiri Allan said.
“This is an exciting milestone for Aotearoa New Zealand and contributing to a legacy for our mokopuna and future generations. I look forward to seeing more tamariki and New Zealanders learn and embrace what this significant event in the Māori calendar is, and means to so many Māori,” Kiri Allan said.
Alongside the cultural and social benefits from the additional holiday, MBIE estimated the annual economic benefit to the domestic tourism industry to be in the range of $110-$160 million.
