Thank you to Matua Keung, the OHS Kapa haka group and the whānau class for their presentations on Matariki and the activities they organised this week to honour the Māori New Year and promote cultural awareness at OHS.

Matariki, a cluster of stars, reappears in the night sky in mid-July and signals the beginning of the Maori New Year. Although Matariki may be different for different iwi, many speak of a cluster of 7 Matariki stars which are visible to the naked eye, as a mother and her daughters. The mother is Matariki and her daughters are Tupuānuku, Tupuārangi, Waipuna -ā-Rangi, Waitī, Waitā, and Ururangi. There are two more not so easily visible, Pohutukawa and Hiwa-i-te-Rangi, they are a reminder to farewell the dead, remember ancestors and all those who have gone before us.

 Matariki is about spending time with friends and family, celebrating new life, making plans for the year ahead, remembering ancestors and farewelling those who have passed.

Students and staff have posted their goals for the year ahead on the Te kupenga, net, as Hiwa-i-te-rangi reminds us to look forward and make plans for a successful future. The names of loved ones who have passed over the last year were added to the net, so that we can carry them forward in our hearts as Pōhutukawa suggests.

We have enjoyed waiata performed by the Kapa haka group and learnt more about an important part of Māori heritage.

We finished the week sharing kai in the sunshine, enjoying the company of others.