Matariki 2022 at Mairtown Kindergarten

 

At Mairtown Kindergarten we love to celebrate Matariki (The Māori New Year) because it is such a special event in Māori culture and for our bicultural nation. As the twinkling stars of Matariki rise in the winter sky, this is a time for people to come together, to remember their ancestors, to share kai, sing and tell stories. This celebration reminds us of the cycle of life, and natural ways of marking the passage of time. It is certainly a ritual which is very much looked forward to and treasured by the whole community of Mairtown Kindergarten, warming our hearts as we come together, reflecting on the past and making plans for the future.

On Tuesday the 14th June we hosted our annual ‘Harvest Day’ at Mairtown Kindergarten. Whānau were invited to bring a gift from their garden or a home-made treat, along with a whakatauki or thought to nourish the receiver’s heart. We had such a lovely response, and it was evident that lots of joy and love was shared, given, and received throughout this day.

Harvest Day is all about ‘random acts of kindness’. The gifts were placed on our harvest table and at the end of the day tamariki and their whānau were able to choose something from the table to take home.

“The act of giving expands one’s entire life experience because nothing is more fulfilling than one’s capacity to give.”

(P. Rashad)

On Tuesday 21st June we hosted our annual Mairtown Kindergarten celebration, the last event of our Matariki festival events. Leading up to this much anticipated gathering, the tamariki prepared artwork that was displayed all over the kindergarten.

Together we planned what kai we would make. In past years we celebrated this event with a shared hāngī meal but due to the current Covid gathering restrictions we needed to come up with another option this year. We decided to move our shared feast to be an outdoor lunch, so whānau could come between 11.30 and 1pm to share hot soup, mince stew, seafood chowder and fried bread with anything chocolate for dessert!

‘Ngā kai a Matariki nāna i ao ake nei'

'Food that is scooped up by Matariki'

The above whakatauki speaks of when Matariki rises in the month of Pipiri and food is cooked and offered upon its appearance. Matariki is weak and cold from carrying out its annual duties, so at the time the constellation reappears in our skies Māori would prepare a celebratory hangi, releasing the steam to replenish its strength for the coming year.

We have had many discussions about what Matariki means and have gained information from pukapuka and by watching small videos together. One story that captured the interest of our tamariki was the purakau with tells of the earth mother Papatūānuku and sky father, Ranginui being separated by their children. This event led to the creation of life and also the constellation of Matariki. Another story that had been popular with our tamariki has been ‘The Seven Kites of Matariki’.

“What is Matariki?” – Tamariki began sharing their thoughts:

“It means you have to share food and you get to get your whānau” – Paulie

“Matariki stars the little ones, I saw some yesterday when it was dark, they were little ones”

– Aki

“The Matariki stars, they shine, and they twinkle and twinkle and twinkle too, and they sparkle, sparkle and they sparkle and sparkle” – Torin

 

“A cluster of stars” – Leo

 

“Stars” – Leia

We explored all the stars, Waitī, Waitā, Waipuna-ā-rangi, Tupu-ā-nuku, Tupu-ā-rangi, Ururangi, Pōhutukawa, Hiwai-te-rangi and Matariki, learning what each star represented, using our lovely resource 'The stars of Matariki', By Anne Bawden, adapted from the magnetic story by Teacher Talk. These were then used for inspiration for some of our artwork that was created and displayed.

Matariki hunga

Matariki ahunga nui

Matariki has many admirers,

Matariki brings us together. 

The day before our lunch, tamariki prepared the vegetables, together peeling, chopping, and smashing the pumpkins open (as we have done for many years) and harvesting our celery and kale from our own vegetable gardens at the kindergarten. Our worms also enjoyed all our kumara peelings once we had finished.

On Tuesday Kaiako got to work in the kitchen with the help of our professional practice manager Kim Townsend. Soup was put on, the mince stew was cooking and the fried bread frying. The kindergarten smelt amazing.

At 11.30am whānau began to arrive, and after a quick opening and mihi mo te kai, whānau and their tamariki made their way inside to choose their lunch, before sitting outside to share delicious kai and korero together. More whānau arrived throughout the afternoon and it was great to feel a sense of connection again after such a long time.

Lastly, we had our wishing tree, where tamariki were able to make a wish on a star, placing it the tree. This was inspired by Hiwa-i-te-rangi, the wishing star who grants the wishes of our heart, helping us to realise our dreams for the coming year. 

Ana, i te atapō tonu ka rewa ake a Matariki ka kitea mai, ā koirā te tohu o te tau hau.

Therefore, in the early morning when Matariki is seen rising, this is the sign of the new year.