The national Matariki hautapu ceremony took place at Treble Cone yesterday morning, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon among the guests.
Hosted by Kāi Tahu and Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou, the pre-dawn ceremony signalled the beginning of Te Rā Aro ki Matariki — the Matariki public holiday.
More than 200 people gathered up the mountain for the ceremony, including government ministers Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis, and Shane Reti, as well as Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson and Māori astronomer and scholar Prof Rangi Mātāmua.
This was the third national hautapu ceremony to take place since Matariki became a public holiday in 2022.
Each year a different rūnanga hosts the ceremony, allowing it to move around the country.
Hautapu comes from the term "whāngai i te hautapu", meaning "to feed the stars with a sacred offering".
Mr Luxon said it was an incredible honour to be taking part in this year’s ceremony.
"Can I just say, having a breakfast filled with oysters and crayfish is pretty special.
"I’ve never quite had a breakfast like this in my life."
He congratulated Kāi Tahu and the rangatahi (youth) who carried out the "incredibly special, incredibly powerful" ceremony.
Mr Goldsmith said the ceremony was a "deeply moving experience".
"There were three elements that struck me — remembering the people who have passed over the year, the celebration of where we are today and what we can be proud of, and thinking about the future."
He said those elements were something all New Zealanders could share and experience.
Kāi Tahu kaumatua Edward Ellison said it was a "privilege" to be nationally showcasing their whenua, people and culture.
"Hosting this traditional hautapu ceremony for Matariki is part of our commitment as mana whenua to matauraka Māori, and we hope that the nation will continue to see this as a time to collectively celebrate our uniqueness as Aotearoa," Mr Ellison said.
The ceremony involved cooking kai connected to the stars in the Matariki cluster — Tipuānuku, Tipuārangi, Waitī and Waitā.
Kāi Tahu gathered food from the earth (Tipuānuku), food from the sky (Tipuārangi), food from fresh water (Waitī) and food from the ocean (Waitā).
A special oven, known as te umu kohukohu whetū (the steaming earth oven of the stars), was then prepared with hot stones, leaves and earth.
While the kai cooked, members of Kāi Tahu delivered a series of Matariki karakia.
Each karakia held a special purpose, paying respect to the stars, the natural environment, remembering the past, celebrating the present, and looking forward to the future.
Before the sun rose, the umu (oven) was uncovered and steam from the kai was released to feed the stars.
Prof Mātāmua was "very, very proud" to see an array of young people leading the ceremony.
"I’m also proud of the people right across the country in their homes, sitting down, having meals with each other, taking the time to reflect on people that have passed, but also to celebration what an awesome country we are."
