{"id":510282,"date":"2026-07-05T02:16:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T02:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/510282\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T02:16:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T02:16:13","slug":"matariki-2026-this-years-theme-and-how-to-watch-celebrations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/510282\/","title":{"rendered":"Matariki 2026 – this year’s theme and how to watch celebrations"},"content":{"rendered":"

The time to celebrate Matariki \u2013 or Puanga<\/a> in some regions \u2013 is approaching with the sun, stars and lunar phase aligning for the start of the M\u0101ori new year. <\/p>\n

This year marks the fifth anniversary since Matariki became a public holiday<\/a> and many New Zealanders around the country have embraced the opportunity to gather, honour those who have passed, celebrate the present, and look ahead to the future.<\/p>\n

This year’s holiday is this Friday, July 10, and Matariki Herenga Waka will stream live from Takaparawhau on TVNZ+<\/a> at 6am that day.<\/p>\n

Professor Rangi M\u0101t\u0101mua, chief advisor on m\u0101tauranga Matariki, said it highlights the growing place of the Ma\u014dri New Year in New Zealand\u2019s national calendar and the many ways it is celebrated<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Since 2022, nationally broadcast hautapu have marked the rising of Matariki in communities across the country, including Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Rotorua, W\u0101naka and Ohakune.<\/p>\n

“Each host iwi has shared their unique way of celebrating the M\u0101ori New Year, inviting the nation to connect while strengthening ties to their m\u0101tauranga and traditions.”<\/p>\n

Auckland central-based iwi Ng\u0101ti Wh\u0101tua is this year\u2019s host<\/a> and the theme is Matariki Herenga Waka \u2013 For Everyone.<\/p>\n

“After five years of bringing Tamaki Makaurau together at Takaparawhau, Ng\u0101ti Wh\u0101tua \u014cr\u0101kei are now welcoming all of Aotearoa to experience the celebration through a live broadcast from the iconic Waitemat\u0101 Harbour,\u201d said M\u0101t\u0101mua.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People pick food from the umu kohukohu for Matariki hautapu celebrations hosted by Ng\u0101ti Wh\u0101tua in 2022. (Source: Seven Sharp)<\/p>\n

Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae, Secretary for the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, said the theme honours the whakatauk\u012b: T\u0101maki Herenga Waka \u2013 the gathering place of canoes.<\/p>\n

“It speaks to bringing people together, welcoming everyone to celebrate Matariki, and recognising the diverse communities that make T\u0101maki Makaurau Auckland unique.<\/p>\n

“The theme connects the celebration with communities across the Pacific and beyond. That connection is strengthened by the attendance of representatives from Pacific countries and the European Union at the hautapu, including French Polynesia which celebrated its first Matari\u2019i i ni\u2019a public holiday in Tahiti and French Polynesia last year.”<\/p>\n

How to spot Matariki<\/p>\n

The midwinter celebration, which is not restricted to a single day, is marked by the rising of the Matariki star cluster.<\/p>\n

There is a seven-to-eight-day period where Matariki is viewed in association with the waning of the moon, and the celebration period ends before the new moon.<\/p>\n

If the weather conditions are right, the cluster can be seen at dawn before the sun rises.<\/p>\n

The easiest way to find Matariki is to use other identifiable star groups as markers.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An image identifying the Matariki cluster (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Before sunrise, look to the Southern Cross (Te Punga). From there, look east where you will see the constellation Tautoru, otherwise known as Orion’s Belt or The Pot.<\/p>\n

Then trace a line north from the three stars of Tautoru to a triangular-shaped cluster of stars, which is Hyades, or Te Kokot\u0101.<\/p>\n

Look towards the left again, and just off the shoulder of Te Kokot\u0101 is Matariki.<\/p>\n

Above Tautoru is another star called Puanga. This star is also significant to some iwi as a sign of the M\u0101ori New Year.<\/p>\n

What do the different Matariki stars represent?<\/p>\n

There are nine stars within the Matariki cluster (although some areas recognise seven stars).<\/p>\n

The central, biggest star is Matariki, considered to be the mother of the eight other stars.<\/p>\n

\"Matariki<\/p>\n

Matariki star cluser. (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n

Those other stars are:<\/p>\n

– P\u014dhutukawa \u2013 many M\u0101ori believe this is the star which guides the dead across the night sky. When the cluster returns to the horizon just before the sun rises, the dead of the year make their final journey into the sky.<\/p>\n

– Tupu\u0101nuku \u2013 associated with food produced from the ground.<\/p>\n

– Tupu\u0101rangi \u2013 associated with the forest, bird life, and the harvesting of food grown in trees or above the ground, such as fruit.<\/p>\n

– Wait\u012b \u2013 connected to fresh water and all the creatures that live in rivers, streams and lakes.<\/p>\n

– Wait\u0101 \u2013 linked to the moana and the many kinds of food that can be gathered from the sea.<\/p>\n

– Waipunarangi \u2013 its name means \u2018water from the sky\u2019. It will determine whether there will be a drought or an abundance of rain for that season.<\/p>\n

– Ururangi \u2013 linked to the winds.<\/p>\n

– Hiwa-i-te-rangi \u2013 the youngest in the cluster and the \u2018wishing\u2019 star where people can send their wishes, hopes and dreams for the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The time to celebrate Matariki \u2013 or Puanga in some regions \u2013 is approaching with the sun, stars…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510283,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[12553,4432,111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-510282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-iwi-hapu","tag-maori-issues","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/510283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}