View of the Matariki star cluster at sunrise in a dark night sky

Matariki 2025 at Te Papa

Mānawatia a Matariki! Come celebrate Matariki and Puanga at Te Papa with a series of whakangahau, kōrero, and whānau-friendly activities that allow you to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future.

Image: Celebrating Matariki – Māori New Year, 2022. Photo by Geoff McKay / Flickr. CC BY 2.0

A display of coloured jewellery on a stall table

Matariki Māori business showcase

Celebrate Matariki at Te Papa with a vibrant Māori artist and business showcase. Connect with talented makers, share stories, and explore unique Māori creations.

31 May–29 June, 9.00am to 6.00pm daily

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

An audience watches a presentation beneath a carved colourful wharenui (meeting house).

Panel talk: Kōrero Matariki – Te hauora o te wai

Join us for weekly live kōrero (talk) with guest speakers, as they share te ao Māori (the Māori world) understandings of health and wellbeing, featuring taonga (treasures) from our collections.

Wed 4 Jun 2025, 6.30–8.00pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Two plates with two types of desserts arranged in three on each plate. The dessert in the foreground are three blue swirls with gold leaf on the top.

Matariki specials at Te Papa Cafe

Experience Matariki with our star-inspired café specials, featuring seasonal dishes that reflect kai Māori and celebrate ingredients sourced from the land, sea, and sky.

16 to 22 Jun, 9.00am to 3.00pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Panel talk: Kōrero Matariki – Te hauora o te kai

Join us for weekly live kōrero (talk) with guest speakers, as they share te ao Māori (the Māori world) understandings of health and wellbeing, featuring taonga (treasures) from our collections.

Wed 11 Jun 2025, 6.30–8.00pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

A person is dancing on stage with large woven circles behind them.

plenty serious TALK TALK

Kia Mau Festival presents plenty serious TALK TALK, a theatre show that takes its first international step across the Tasman, bringing its premiere show to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Wed 11 Jun 2025, 6.30–7.30pm

Thu 12 Jun 2025, 6.30–7.30pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Several people sitting around a fire pit, laughing and talking at night.

After Dark: Matariki

Celebrate the rising of Matariki and Puanga, with an evening of music, storytelling, mātauranga (Māori knowledge systems), workshops and kai (food).

Fri 13 Jun 2025, 7.30–11.00pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Panel talk: Kōrero Matariki – Te hauora o te hinengaro

Join us for weekly live kōrero (talk) with guest speakers, as they share te ao Māori (the Māori world) understandings of health and wellbeing, featuring taonga (treasures) from our collections.

Wed 18 Jun 2025, 6.30–8.00pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

A woman has a child on her knee who is holding a tube of gluestick. They are making something on the table in front of them.

Tamariki Time: Matariki

Learn about karetao (Māori puppets), and create a mini kākahu (cloak/clothing).

Thu 19 Jun 2025, 10.00am–12.00pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Two children and an adult closely examine preserved specimens in jars at an event with a museum kaimahi (staff member) explaining the display.

Whānau Day: Matariki

A day for you and your whānau (family) to come and celebrate Matariki.

Fri 20 Jun 2025, 10.00am–2.00pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

A person's arms and hands using a knife and fork to eat a meal on a table with plants and wine glasses.

Matariki Pātaka Kai

Join us for Matariki Pātaka Kai – a vibrant dinner with seasonal kai (food) and shared moments under the winter sky. Gather in the spirit of this year’s theme – Matariki mā Puanga, which is all about inclusion and diversity, and celebrating together.

Sat 21 Jun 2025, 6:30–10:30pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Rēwena bread bug creation workshop with Natura Aura

Join Natura Aura for a free, hands-on workshop exploring the cultural, scientific, and nourishing world of traditional Māori rēwena bread and its living sourdough bug.

Wed 25 Jun, 11.00am–12.00pm and 1:30–2:30pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

matariki-night sky with designed star on it

Matariki: The Māori New Year

Learn all about Matariki and see our events. Matariki is a time to gather with family and friends to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future.

Mānawatia a Matariki

Celebrate Matariki – the beginning of the New Year in Aotearoa New Zealand, marked by the rising of the Matariki star cluster.

On now

Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

Computer-generated image of the activity book lying open showing its cover and inside pages

Matariki activity book

Primary

Learn about Matariki through fun kids’ activities. Featuring word searches, colouring pages, games, and stories, discover what's important during Matariki – whetū, kōrero, kai, whenua, whānau, and the Maramataka.

Activity book