Matariki events set to shine

A series of short art films, offering Maori and Pasifika views of the world, will be projected on to a water curtain in the Steamer Basin over three nights, in the Mana Moana event for Matariki. Images: supplied

As people across Ōtepoti Dunedin look forward to the second official Matariki public holiday tomorrow, many have embraced the start of the Māori New Year with events that recognise Te Ao Māori (the Māori world). The Star reporters Simon Henderson and Brenda Harwood discover some of the ways Matariki is being celebrated in the city.

The arrival of the dawn and the fading of the light as night falls will be a special time for reflection and remembrance, as Ōtepoti Dunedin celebrates the Matariki public holiday tomorrow.

The city is in the midst of the Puaka Matariki Festival, held annually to mark the return of the lone star Puaka and the star cluster Matariki to our pre-dawn midwinter skies, bringing people together to share stories and kai, pass on knowledge, remember those who have departed and look forward to the year ahead.

Dunedin City Council manahautu (general manager) Māori, partnerships and policy Jeanette Wikaira said the festival’s two major events would be tomorrow’s Matariki Ahuka Nui dawn ceremony at Otago Museum and the visually spectacular Mana Moana show.

The events were a partnership between the council, Otago Museum, Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki and Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, and she was expecting a strong turnout from the public, Ms Wikaira said.

"Before last year’s Matariki events, we had no idea how popular they would be, so we had to scramble a bit when about 10,000 people turned out for the first night of Mana Moana.

"Across the country, people are hungry for these kinds of events, where they can connect with others and learn — which is great to see," she said.

The free Mana Moana show — featuring short art films projected on to a curtain of water in the Steamer Basin — will run from Friday to Sunday, on a continuous loop from 5.30pm-8.30pm.

A food night market will operate alongside the event.

For the moving-image event, co-directors Rachael Rakena and Mike Bridgman worked with mana whenua, Pasifika and international indigenous multi-media artists and Wellington-based production company Storybox.

Among the works featured in Mana Moana is Te Rereka o Te Toroa, directed by Louise Potiki Bryant with Moana Wesley and Ati Teepa, which tells the story of the return of the toroa (albatross).

Toroa feature again in Collapsed Worlds, by Dr Johnson Witehira and musician Rio Hemapo-Hunuki, exploring the collision of the Māori and Pakeha worlds.

Also contributing to the Mana Moana event is the Ōtepoti Pasifika Arts Collective, comprising 20 writers, poets, musicians, carvers, visual artists, videographers and performers.

Films from the Pacific Voices collection, made to be screened during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, will also be screened.

Ms Wikaira said the Puaka Matariki Festival, which runs until July 21, was filled with great community events, ranging from workshops for children to exhibitions, performances and star-gazing events.

"The overarching theme of Matariki is to reflect on and remember the year past, and also to look to the future — which this year will quickly include the excitement of the Fifa Women’s World Cup," Ms Wikaira said.

"It’s exciting that we can come together collectively and celebrate our first Māori national holiday."