Matariki — the Māori New Year — is one of the most significant events in the New Zealand calendar, and in our house it’s become one of our favourite times of year to slow down, gather around the table, and actually talk to each other.
If you’re new to Matariki, or you want to understand it properly so you can share it with your kids, this is the guide for you. We cover what it is, what the 9 stars mean, when it’s celebrated in 2026, and simple ways to mark it with your family — without it needing to be a massive production.
Quick Summary
- What is Matariki? The Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster, and the celebration of the Māori New Year
- Matariki 2026 date: Friday 10 July 2026 — public holiday
- What the name means: Mata Riki (Tiny Eyes) or Mata Ariki (Eyes of God)
- How many stars: 9 named stars, though 7 are most visible to the naked eye
- How to celebrate: Feast, stargazing, remembrance, family gatherings, and community events
In this guide
What is Matariki?
Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster — a group of stars that disappears from the NZ night sky in autumn and reappears on the horizon in late May or June each year. This reappearance marks the beginning of the Māori New Year.
The meaning behind the stars
Some people think of Matariki as a mother star with 6 daughters, often referred to as the Seven Sisters. Others describe the stars as the eyes of the god Tāwhirimātea.
According to this tradition, when Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatūānuku (the earth mother) were separated by their children, the god of wind Tāwhirimātea became angry, tearing out his eyes and hurling them into the heavens — where they became the stars of Matariki.
Matariki’s reappearance in the sky was also believed to foretell the coming harvest season. Bright, clear stars meant a bountiful crop ahead — cause for celebration. Hazy or closely bunched stars signalled a cold winter and leaner times, a signal to preserve stores carefully.
Today, Matariki is celebrated as a time for three things: remembrance of those who have passed, gratitude for the present, and hope and planning for the year ahead. Those values are as relevant now as they were centuries ago.
What Does Matariki Mean?
The name Matariki actually has two distinct meanings, both referring to the star cluster:
Two meanings, one name
- Mata Riki — Tiny Eyes
- Mata Ariki — Eyes of God (or Eyes of the Chief)
Both meanings refer to the cluster of stars that appear in the north-eastern sky each winter. The name is also connected to Matariki the star itself — the brightest star in the cluster, known in Western astronomy as Alcyone.
Interestingly, the word Matariki also appears in other Polynesian cultures across the Pacific, and the Pleiades star cluster held significance for navigation, agriculture, and timekeeping in many cultures around the world — including in Japan, where the car brand Subaru takes its name and logo from the cluster.
The 9 Stars of Matariki — Names and Meanings
Although the Pleiades cluster contains thousands of stars, there are 9 named stars in the Matariki tradition — 7 clearly visible to the naked eye, and 2 that are harder to make out without optical aids. Each star has its own name, domain, and significance.
⭐ The 9 Stars of Matariki
The mother star — eyes of Tāwhirimātea. Represents health, environment, and wellbeing.
Sky tohunga. Represents food from above — fruits, birds, and trees.
Sky spring. Represents rain and water from the sky.
Sweet water. Represents freshwater environments and the food within them.
Earth tohunga. Represents food grown in the ground — kūmara, root vegetables.
Entry to the heavens. Represents the winds — look to this star for weather forecasts.
Sprinkle of water. Represents the ocean and saltwater food sources.
Connects Matariki to the dead. The star that carries departed souls across the year.
The wishing star — the youngest in the cluster. Send your aspirations and goals here.
A lovely tradition for families is to look up each star with your children and talk about what it represents. Pōhutukawa is a meaningful place to remember someone you’ve lost. Hiwaiterangi is where the kids can send a wish or intention for the year ahead — which tends to produce some very earnest and occasionally hilarious responses from primary-age children.
When is Matariki Celebrated in 2026?
Matariki doesn’t fall on a fixed date — it changes each year based on the lunar calendar and the rising of the star cluster. The public holiday always falls on a Friday or Monday to allow for a traditional long weekend.
Matariki 2026
Friday 10 July 2026 — public holiday
This falls right in the middle of the school holidays (4–19 July), making it the perfect opportunity for a family Matariki dinner, a stargazing night, or a lantern walk.
Matariki begins to rise in the eastern sky in the last days of May and into June. Some iwi started their celebrations when Matariki was first seen on the horizon; others celebrated on the first new moon after the rising, and others on the first full moon. The modern public holiday is set to fall on either a Friday or a Monday each year.
The History of Matariki
Matariki’s story threads deep into the fabric of Māori tradition. For centuries, the rising of this star cluster wasn’t just about marking a new year — it carried immense practical and spiritual significance.
Matariki as an agricultural calendar
The disappearance of Matariki in autumn (around April) signalled the time to gather and preserve crops — kūmara, pikopiko, and karaka berries — before winter set in. When the storehouses were full and Matariki reappeared in late May or June, celebrations began.
The brightness of the stars at reappearance was read as a forecast for the coming season:
- Clear, bright stars — bountiful harvest ahead; planting begins in September
- Hazy, closely bunched stars — cold winter ahead; planting delayed to October
Matariki as a time of remembrance
Beyond the practical, Matariki was deeply spiritual. It was a time to honour those who had passed since the last rising of the stars — their spirits were thought to ascend with Matariki into the night sky, becoming stars themselves. Offerings were made to land-based gods, new trees were planted to signal new beginnings, and whakapapa (genealogy) was recited and shared.
Matariki atua ka eke mai i te rangi e roa,
E whāngainga iho ki te mata o te tau e roa e.
Divine Matariki come forth from the far-off heaven, bestow the first fruits of the year upon us.
Māori arrived in Aotearoa from East Polynesia — and had used the stars for navigation, agriculture, and spiritual practice for thousands of years before that. The Matariki star cluster appears on the traditional Māori star compass, suggesting its use for navigation long before written records existed.
How to Find the Matariki Star Cluster
Spotting Matariki in the sky is one of the most memorable things you can do with your kids on Matariki night — and it’s free. Here’s how to find it.
Step-by-step: finding Matariki
- Go outside before dawn — the best viewing time is roughly 5–6am in early July
- Face north-east and look up about 45 degrees from the horizon
- Look for a small, fuzzy cluster of stars — it looks like a tiny dipper or a smudge of light
- Once you’ve spotted it, you’ll recognise it immediately — it’s distinctive and tight
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa has a wonderful short video guide to finding the Matariki cluster — worth watching with your kids the night before so they know what to look for. Search “Te Papa how to find Matariki” on YouTube.
How Communities Celebrate Matariki
Matariki is celebrated across New Zealand with a wide range of events and activities — many of them free. It’s one of the best opportunities in the year for the wider community to engage with Māori culture in an open, welcoming way.
What to look for in your area
- Kapa haka performances and cultural concerts
- Matariki light trails and lantern walks (free in most main centres)
- Dawn ceremonies (hautapu) at marae and significant sites
- Art exhibitions and craft workshops
- Astronomy workshops and stargazing events
- Hākari (feasts) and hāngī
- Whakapapa (genealogy) workshops
- Tree planting in conservation areas
- Family days at museums and cultural centres
- Library sessions for kids — crafts, storytelling, lantern-making
Regional highlights
- Auckland: Te Papa Aotea Centre, museum events, vibrant street festivals and light displays across the city
- Wellington: City-wide Matariki light installations, Te Papa school holiday programmes (free), dawn ceremonies at the waterfront
- Northland: Events incorporating coastal and seafaring traditions, reflecting the region’s iwi connections
- Queenstown: Winter Festival events often overlap with the Matariki period — fireworks and free street events
Matariki is also a wonderful opportunity for Māori to share their stories and culture with the wider community. If you’ve never attended a dawn ceremony or a kapa haka performance, Matariki is the perfect occasion to go for the first time.
6 Simple Ways to Celebrate Matariki With Your Family
You don’t need to do anything elaborate. The spirit of Matariki is about gathering, reflecting, and being present with the people around you. Here are six simple ideas to mark the occasion as a family — many of which we do ourselves every year.
1. A Family Feast
Make Matariki a time when the whole family gets together to eat and give thanks. It’s a lovely opportunity to try traditional Māori kai like hāngī-inspired slow cooker meals or rewena (Māori potato bread). Star-shaped biscuits or a pavlova topped with silver star sprinkles make the table feel properly celebratory. See our easy Matariki dinner ideas →
2. Stargaze Together
Go outside before dawn on or near 10 July and try to find the Matariki cluster in the north-eastern sky. Wrap up warm, bring a thermos, and download Stellarium beforehand so you know where to look. The combination of cold air, hot drinks, and a genuine discovery moment is one of those things kids genuinely remember. My girls still talk about the time we found it.
3. Remember Someone
Matariki is a time to honour those who have passed. Light a candle for someone you’ve lost and say their name aloud. Talk about a memory of them. Even young children can participate in this, and there’s something quietly powerful about the whole family pausing to remember together — especially on a cold July night with the stars above you.
4. Set Intentions for the Year Ahead
Most of us set goals in January and forget them by March. Matariki is a second chance — and arguably a more meaningful one. Sit together and each share one thing you’re grateful for from the past year, and one thing you’re hoping for in the year ahead. Aim your wishes at Hiwaiterangi, the wishing star. The kids take this very seriously, which is the best part.
5. Tend the Garden
Use Matariki as a moment to clear the winter vegetables and prepare your garden for spring planting. Matariki has always been tied to the agricultural calendar — and there’s something grounding about getting your hands in the soil on the same day Māori have done so for centuries. Even a pot of herb seedlings on the windowsill counts.
6. Attend a Matariki Event
Check your local council website or library for Matariki events in your area. Lantern walks, dawn ceremonies, kapa haka performances, and kids’ craft sessions run across the country throughout the Matariki period. Many are free. Book library sessions early — they fill up fast.
The celebrations that stick are almost never the elaborate ones. It’s the hot chocolate on the back lawn while you squint at the stars, or the dinner where someone says the name of a person you miss. Keep it simple. That’s the whole point of Matariki.
The Bottom Line
Matariki is a public holiday on Friday 10 July 2026 — right in the middle of the school holidays. It’s a time for remembrance, gratitude, and hope: looking back at who and what we’ve lost, giving thanks for what we have, and looking forward to the year ahead.
You don’t need a plan to mark it meaningfully. You just need a clear night, a warm drink, and the people you love.
How does your family celebrate Matariki?
Share your traditions in the comments below. We’d love to hear what Matariki looks like in your whānau. Whether it’s a big community event or a quiet dinner at home, it all counts.
Matariki is the eyes of chiefs… Mata Ariki..is the eyes of Ta’aroa. Matariki is located in Hauviri marae and Mata Ariki is located in the Taputapuatea marae in the Opoa district of Ra’iatea ( Havai’i / Hawaiki ). If one stands at the coronation stone in Hauviri and looks straight ahead and follow the direction , you will land at Whitianga, the home of ” Te Wahine Moeroa Taputapuatea ” roughly translated to “the sleepy /sleeping woman of Taputapuatea “. It sits next to the Taputapuatea stream. Theres a place north of whitianga called Tahanga which contains a navigational site… Read more »
this has been very help ful
Awesome, glad you found it useful. — Kiwi Families
hi
MATIRIKI SUCKS I THINK ITS STUPID
What a really odd comment to make? Anyway, we LOVE Matariki and have been promoting it as a significant and important event in the Aotearoa-New Zealand calendar for over 10 years. Each to their own though! — Jarrod
matariki is great the maori new year
Good to see that Matariki is celebrated
We agree! — Kiwi Families
Hello. And Bye.
this website sucks
Pretty rude comment. We work really hard week in-week out to make this site a success. And we’re still going strong after almost 15 years. But thanks for stopping by. — Jarrod
Hello. And Bye.
Hello. And Bye.
Hi excellent website! Does running a blog like this take a massive amount work? I have absolutely no expertise in computer programming however I was hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyhow, if you have any ideas or tips for new blog owners please share. I understand this is off subject but I simply needed to ask. Kudos!
It sure does, but it’s a LOT of fun. We recommend anyone start a blog! — Kiwi Families
When in Cambodia, we celebrated International, Khmer and Chinese New Years. Here, we celebrate Matariki and International New Year. Makes more sense too* celebrate a winter New Year than a summer one. I can only think of one reason why people would have a problem with that.
*Thats to make Paulette Stewart happy. BTW, Paulette, Maori should be capitalised, you pedantic dumbass.
Lot of assumptions there. When was the first written account? Did Capt Cook mention it?
Of course there are a lot of assumptions there! You’re referring to cultures that passed on knowledge through oral rendition. There is no first written account. The Maori compass includes Matariki on it, so we can assume Matariki was used for navigational purposes, and that would infer Matariki was ‘recorded’ prior to 1500AD ( https://teara.govt.nz/en/diagram/2222/maori-star-compass). Captain Cook’s historical, and more importantly cultural, accounts of the Maori people leave a lot to be desired! — Jarrod
Wonder what your issue with Capt Cook?
I find Matariki unusual in that there are absolutely no references to it prior to say the year 2000. All down to oral tradition you say.
Just wanted to know how many countries celebrate Matariki
Hi Ataahua, another great question! The easy answer is just one: Aotearoa! Matariki is a uniquely Maori custom, so it’s only celebrated here. The more difficult answer would be to say which cultures around the world use the Pleiades constellation for agricultural purposes. I’m sure there are many, throughout Polynesia, Melanesia, Asia, South America and beyond. Good luck in your search. — Jarrod
When was it first recorded? Google no help
Hi Jon, this is a great question, and not one with a straightforward answer! Maori have used the Matariki, and other constellations, for agriculture, religious and navigational uses since earliest memory. So at least as far back is 1500AD. Maori arrived in Aotearoa from East Polynesia, and possibly from South East Asia prior to that. We know they’ve used the stars for navigational purposes for thousands of years. So it’s safe to assume that Matariki was identified many thousands of years ago. In terms of Matariki used as part of the planting/harvesting cycle, we can assume this knowledge was brought… Read more »
it is common historical knowledge that Tē Hekenganui The great Māori migration happened between 1250 to 1350AD not 1500 as you have stated. Ngā mihi
Thanks for this. I’ve re-read the article and I can’t find a reference to that date. Very happy to update though if it’s incorrect! — Kiwi Families
See also my reply to your post above, Jon Lee
https://www.facebook.com/Livingbythestars/videos/2050060725248229/
Do you think the government should acknowledge Matariki with a public holiday?
Hi Amber, here at Kiwi Families we are huge supporters of a nationally recognised Matariki! Whether or not a public holiday is called for, I’m not sure. But we should certainly celebrate the Maori New Year with the same sort of fervour that China celebrates their New Years. On that note, we’re stoked that Wellington City Council made a huge call to cancel Guy Fawkes , and replace it with a mid-winter Matariki fireworks display. It’s a step in the right direction! — Jarrod
“The reappearance of the seven Matariki stars, in late May or early June, signals the beginning of the Māori New Year”. I got this small piece from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongorewa. Actually, the reappearance of the NINE Matariki stars signalling the Maori New Year will appear in July. We celebrate Matariki from the 17th of July to around the 27th of July. During this period there are some days where we do not celebrate.
There are two stars missing. Hiwaiterangi and Waiti. Hiwaiterangi is the wishing star. There is a special process for this. Waiti is the star used to establish whether it will be a good year for things like eel etc. The stars are also positioned wrong. On your diagram Tupuanuku is above Tupuarangi. Nuku is always below Rangi. Papatuanuku (Earth Mother), Ranginui (Sky Father)……hence nuku below and rangi above.
hi
When was this website made please…..as i am doing a powerpoin presentation on matariki thank you.
Hi Jordan, we kicked off 10 years ago in 2006. Good luck with your presso — Jarrod
Hi i was wondering
why is Matariki important to Māori
Please answer asap
I need it for tommorw
thankyou so much for your web sight its amazing
its helped me heaps
thx
Hi Ne’ve, Matariki is important to Maori for a number of reasons. The seven sisters signified a time for harvesting crops, as well as for celebrating and being with whanau/family. Matariki is also important spiritually for many Maori and the stars were used for navigation purposes. — Jarrod.
what do u mean???
what did Maori ancestors use Matariki for in the past
I just want to find out What do the seven stars signify?
I just want to know “How was Matariki first discovered?”
This doesn’t help me, I want to find out about “how many clusters of stars make up matariki”
Hi there, Matariki refers to the Pleiades constellation, which is a cluster made up of nine bright stars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleiades — Jarrod
matariki is one star cluster made up of seven bright stars
Minecraft
So retaded
Did you know that the Japanese car name Subaru means matariki,which is why there are seven stars on their emblem,?
Yes! That’s right – great point 🙂 Thanks for reminding me!
there’s actually nine stars. There are two more named (pohutukawa & hiwa-i-te-rangi)
Awesome, thank you. We’ve since updated the article 🙂 — Jarrod
hey can you put in some facts? that would be cool
Hi Archie, what kinds of facts were you after?
cool facts
I still don’t get what matariki day is can you please help me figure out for my homework at school.=)
hi just wanted to ask how did the maori ancestors use matariki and for what?
LOLZ!!!
I AM NEW MY SCHOOL IS POINT VEIW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don’t say I am not allowed please this is the best web site I could find…..
Hi I am from Point veiw neon1234 is not my name and I am here to know stuff about matariki for my homework
Matariki has been celebrated by Maori as part of our heritage since way back however the marketing and exploitation of this integral part of our annual calendar has seen modern day NZers view it as merely a festival. In western terms I would liken it to xmas celebrations but without presents, a time for families to gather together but for Maori it also means to remember those who have passed on and celebrate those who have joined the family fold, re-establishing and maintaining our whakapapa links. It also signifies the times to prepare for planting/harvesting and by the appearance of… Read more »
Do you celebrate Matariki in other countries? What do you eat in Matariki?And possibly do you know what year it started? Sorry for all the question.
What do people give to each other on matariki?
Thank you for the very much for your detailed ‘treatise’ – article of Matariki and the Maori New Year. I digress a little and will return: My wife and I watched a documentary a few days ago where some of the Greatest Historians of our time ‘greatly lauded’ Polynesians (as a whole) as the most skilled sea travelers in history. They said Polynesians saw the Pacific Ocean as a ‘great highway’ and used it to it’s full capacity, and not only did they ‘give tribute’ to our Waka-taua (twin canoe catamaran) but also to the great skill of ‘Navigation by… Read more »
really nice information about matariki
Iam a Māori as well and I love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)
very good site,answered all of the questions i had!!!!
I can’t help but think that you ask questions for answers you already know! If you are looking for answers research your questions instead of using a site like this to request answers. A lot of people have there own beliefs about matariki and will elaborate accordingly. Which will provide you with a different context to your own answers. It has been written basically for you above this comment box area.
chip man here
hi tirarau
Umm…if you read the article at the top it will tell you what matariki is, its significance and why we celebrate during this time of the year. It may not be recognised world wide, but if you had a ethnic population in the billions then Id say you stand a better chance of becoming more recognised. I dont know why im even answering some of the dumb n ignorant posts on here. Do some research before posting dont be lazy and or ignorant.
How long do the celebrations go for?
When is the maori new year?
Matariki comes at the last days of may and is between June and July
so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so cooooolllll : )