Matariki, the rising of the star cluster also known as the Pleiades, marks the Māori New Year and one of Aotearoa’s most significant cultural celebrations. Traditionally a time of remembrance, gratitude, and renewal, it invites us to look back on the year that’s been, honour those who’ve passed, and set intentions for the one ahead.
For some, Matariki is deeply personal and spiritual, an early morning hautapu ceremony shared with whānau, a return to ancestral land, or a moment to sit with grief and memory. For others, it’s about connection over kai, gathering loved ones around the table to reflect, celebrate, and simply be together.
To see how this significant time is being embraced today, we spoke with four creatives at the forefront of New Zealand’s design and fashion scene to find out how they plan to celebrate and what Matariki means to them.
Kiri Nathan, fashion designer
What does Matariki mean to you?
Matariki represents connection, reflection, and renewal. It is a time to honour those who have passed, celebrate the people and relationships that sustain us, reconnect with te taiao, and thoughtfully consider the future. My initial understanding of Matariki was profoundly shaped by reading Professor Rangi Mātāmua’s book Matariki, which introduced me to the depth and richness of mātauranga Māori and the many perspectives surrounding this sacred time. Matariki has become a guiding framework for my whānau and our work at KIRI NATHAN, inspiring us to pause, reflect, plan, and celebrate significant milestones.
What’s your favourite Matariki memory?
One of my most meaningful Matariki memories was heading back down to Hauraki for hautapu with my maternal nan’s side, it was my first, that experience was such a privielge, since then we celebrate every year. Hautapu gave me great support after my mother passed away. Another memory was in delivering a whakapūaki at Te Wānanga Takiura o Aotearoa on the subject of Matariki. Preparing for and sharing that kōrero deepened my appreciation of te reo Māori and its ability to unlock a richer understanding of ao Māori. It reinforced my belief that language carries knowledge, values, and ways of seeing the world that are essential to understanding Matariki in its fullest sense.
How do you plan to celebrate this year?
This year is particularly special. My whānau and I will be celebrating Matariki with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei as hosts of the national broadcast, hautapu and many other awesome Matariki activites. We will also mark a significant milestone with the launch of Te Pā, New Zealand’s first Māori and Indigenous Fashion and Art Precinct, located at 260 Apirana Avenue in Glen Innes, Auckland.
Tia Harris, model & model agent
What does Matariki mean to you?
Matariki is for Friends and whānau… and Kai. It’s for spending time with your loved ones, reflecting on the past year, what you have achieved together and how far you’ve come. I also feel a very transformative energy every time it comes up to Matariki, this year has got to have been the most noticeable for me especially. A lot seems to shift leading up to it every year for me.
What’s your favourite Matariki memory?
One year, I made parāoa parai in bulk, and everyone was just feasting on it and hanging out! That’s my favourite thing to do, eat kai and sit around with my friends talking and having fun.
How do you plan to celebrate this year?
Probably something VERY similar to what I said above, but this time I would love to make the day into more of a proper celebration. Maybe a full feast this time! I would also like to go and see my mum who lives in Ōhope and see my aunty and uncle too. I also sent a few Matariki events into the group chat so if I’m not in Ōhope, I will hopefully be doing that with my friends instead.
Natua Kaa-Morgan, digital creator
What does Matariki mean to you?
As with the saying “Matariki Kāinga Hokia” [Matariki calls you home] Matariki means a time for me and my family to return home. Physically, socially, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Connection, reset, and a chance to give back to whatever we call home.
What’s your favourite Matariki memory?
2025 Hautapu. A chilly morning somewhere between 4:30AM and sunrise. Mātai Whetū Marae in Kōpū near Thames.
A sea of Swanndri’s, oil skins scarves and red bands ascended upon the marae as families from Pare Hauraki came together to herald in the Māori new year with traditional incantations and practices in celebration and acknowledgment of the stars and the many atua Māori related to the stars. Although this is a longstanding practice within my iwi, this was my husband and I’s first time taking our toddler home to experience this traditional practice. Core memory!
How do you plan to celebrate this year?
This year I’ll return to Mātai Whetū Marae alongside my people and will delight in sharing this experience with my whole family [parents, siblings, nieces and nephews] for their first time. Matariki kāinga hokia – Matariki calls them home!
Mitchell Vincent, fashion designer
What does Matariki mean to you?
For me, welcoming Matariki and taking the time to relearn its meaning holds so many layers. It’s a season for reflection, of the accomplishments, and of the hard mahi that carried us through the year. It’s also a time to remember those who aren’t with us anymore. Some days that remembrance feels heavy, but it’s still beautiful to let the memories rise, both the good and the hard because each one shapes who we are becoming. As a pakihi [business], I like to pause and check in. Not just with myself, but with the people, knowledge, and care behind the kākahu and taonga. I look at what we’ve grown into, and I ask where we can shift, where systems can become kinder, where energy can be used with more intention.
What’s your favourite Matariki memory?
In 2024, I was honoured to celebrate Matariki with the New Zealand Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. Experiencing something as spiritual as Hautapu [the sacred Matariki dawn ceremony] in another country reminded me that te ao Māori doesn’t only live within our home spaces, it travels, it connects, and it can be held with respect wherever it’s shared. I felt especially proud being part of a moment where cultural exchange was grounded in shared values. In those spaces, Matariki doesn’t just happen. It lands differently. It’s welcomed in a way that helps people relate, connect, and breathe a little easier together.
How do you plan to celebrate this year?
This year, it’s about stepping back from the noise and taking off my many hats, not to disappear, but to arrive fully in the moment. Matariki is my reminder to readjust my lens: to review the year with clarity, set clear priorities, and move forward with better choices, in design, in business and in life.
Things to do around Aotearoa this Matariki
Te Rama Ika, Light and Sound Installation – Auckland
For five nights only, Viaduct Harbour comes alive after dark with Te Rama Ika, a free immersive light and sound installation by acclaimed lighting designer Angus Muir, in collaboration with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei artist Graham Tipene, designer of Te Mata Topaki.
What: Te Rama Ika, a Matariki light and sound installation
Where: Te Mata Topaki, Waitematā Plaza, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland
When: Wednesday 8 – Sunday 12 July 2026, after dark
Cost: Free and open to the public
Tātai Whetū Tātai Tangata – Christchurch
Join Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū for a vibrant programme of workshops, performances, science, kōrero and hands-on whānau-friendly activities. Enjoy live music sets and poetry, weaving workshops, night-sky talks, and films and animations reflecting on stars, storytelling and navigation.
What: Tātai Whetū Tātai Tangata
Where: Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
When: Wednesday 8 – Saturday 11 July
Cost: Free
For more information, visit: christchurchartgallery.org.nz
Les Mills, Matariki Mind Body Classes – Nationwide
From 6-10 July, Les Mills’ twelve clubs nationwide invite members to pause, reflect and connect through special Mind Body classes, featuring intention setting, a te reo Māori soundscape and shared kai. Members who book in will experience a cultural opening and bespoke te reo Māori soundtrack incorporating taonga pūoro [traditional Māori instruments], taking participants on a journey through the themes of Matariki, from darkness into light.
What: Matariki Mind Body classes
Where: 12 Les Mills clubs, nationwide When: 6-10 July
Cost: Included with membership booking
Members can book spots through Les Mills, while non-members can typically reserve their free spots by contacting club reception.
