Activity: How is Matariki celebrated?

Matariki has three major themes:

• Matariki Hunga Nui

• Matariki Ahunga Nui and

• Matariki Manako Nui.

Exploring values

Brainstorm together all the ways ākonga could find out information about how Matariki is celebrated. They could start at our Matariki hub and matariki.com, research in the local library, marae, and museum, or interview whānau Māori and mana whenua. Make sure you are utilising effective practices for relating to whānau Māori and mana whenua.

Listen to our curated playlist of waiata about Matariki on Spotify. Ask ākonga to choose a song and print out the lyrics (if you need helping finding the lyrics, try genius.com). What are the ways these songs support the principles of Matariki Hunga Nui, Matariki Ahunga Nui, and Matariki Manako Nui? Explore and create your own playlists of songs that reflect this special time of the year.

Together, discuss what are appropriate activities at Matariki. Share the words below with ākonga, by printing out this downloadable worksheet. In pairs, ask ākonga to circle activities that could happen at Matariki and cross out the activities that should not happen at Matariki.