“Matariki ahunga nui, Matariki tāpuapua, ko te tohu tēnā o te tau e!
Te murau a te tini, te wenerau a te mano, tēnei ka tangi, tēnei ka mihi, tēnei ka poroporoaki i a rātau mā kua takahia te ara i hikoitia e rātau mā ki te aaiotanga nui o te Wāhi Ngaro.”
”The guiding star of the multitudes, the envy of thousands, weep, acknowledge and farewell all those who have traversed the pathways walked by those who have passed to the serenity of the heavens.”
- Firstly, Matariki is about honouring the year that has just passed: We pause to acknowledge those who are no longer with us and who have died since the last rising of Matariki. We remember them and send their spirits off on a journey to become stars in the sky
- Celebrating the now: It is about unity and acknowledging who we are and where we are right now i.e. sharing a meal and enjoying each other’s company
- Planning the future: Matariki is also about the promise of a New Year and looking forward to the future, to the stars and being reborn into a new time.
Thank you all for taking part in this memorial video in commemorating our loved ones.
“E ko te hau ka rere ki uta, ka rere ki tai, ka kawea ake a haku, a mamae ki te Pā o Matariki, mahea ake ai.
A clearing wind blows to land and sea, carrying our sorrow to be lifted onto the Pā of Matariki.”
Special thanks to Jade Kāmeta at Healthy Families Rotorua for the genesis of the idea, and background song written by Rahera Davies and performed by Rotorua Lakes Council staff.
Ngā mihi i te pūtea tautoko - Rotorua Lakes Council
