Activity: What is the meaning behind Mānawatia a Matariki?

In 2022, Te Tohu o Matariki, the logo for the Matariki public holiday, was launched. Tyrone Ohia (Ngāti Pukenga, Ngāi te Rangi), the graphic designer behind the logo, created a simple yet striking design that is full of meaning.

Download the Tohu o Matariki logo and display it beside a photograph of the Matariki cluster. Ask ākonga to draw the logo themselves and see if they can figure out which whetū in the cluster is symbolised by each of the stylised star icons.

Watch the following animated video of Tyrone’s logo to make sure they are matched correctly, and then using the information from the previous activity, ask ākonga to consider the use of colours for each of the whetū.

1. Why do they think the designer chose each of these colours for each of the whetū in the logo?

2. How do the colours help to symbolise the domain of the whetū?