Artwork Information

Ko te Matariki he kāhui whetū, ko tōna putanga mai he tohu mō te Tau Hou Māori, he wā ki te maumahara, ki te whakahari, ki te ako. He rongonui ngā whetū muramura e whitu i ngā ahurea huhua, heoi e rua anō ngā whetū e mihia ai te ngā tūpuna Māori. Ko ō rātou ingoa ko Matariki, ko Pōhutukawa, ko Waitī, ko Waitā, ko Waipuna-ā-rangi, ko Tupuānuku, ko Tupuārangi, ko Ururangi, ko Hiwa-i-te-rangi.

Matariki is a cluster of stars whose reappearance signals the Māori New Year, a time of remembering, celebration and instruction. The brightest seven stars are recognised across many cultures, yet Māori tūpuna (ancestors) recognise two more. Their nine names are Matariki, Pōhutukawa, Waitī, Waitā, Waipuna-ā-rangi, Tupuānuku, Tupuārangi, Ururangi, Hiwa-i-te-rangi.(Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art, 2020)