The small pulsating star cluster, also known as Pleiades, marks the start of the Māori New Year and can be seen just above the northeastern horizon, shortly before sunrise.
Niwa meteorologist Seth Carrier said "a mixed bag" of weather had been forecast and cloud would be quite dominant across the country over the coming days.
"However, most places will have a morning or two with just partial cloud, so there may be opportunities to see the star cluster if you're lucky."
At this stage, meteorologists believe people living in the upper North Island are likely to get the best views of Matariki rising this week.
Mr Carrier said the Niwa weather team had prepared forecasts for early morning weather conditions, so viewers around the country could plan their best chances of seeing Matariki rise.
At this stage, the most likely time and places to see it would be in Dunedin and Oamaru, just before dawn on Saturday.
"We’ve got a front going through on Friday that could bring some showers or a bit of rain and complete cloud cover.
"But as we head on into Saturday, that front moves through and the skies will clear over eastern Otago.
"So at this point, I would say that will be your best chance of seeing it.
"The clouds will roll back in early on Sunday morning."
Unfortunately, the cloudy and wet weather was expected to continue for the rest of the region into next week, he said.
"For the lower South Island, it’s frankly not looking great. There’s quite a lot of cloud cover."
