Celebrating Matariki
Highpoints of Matariki don’t get much more poignant than the return of Ngā Pou o Heretaunga to Hastings Civic Square.
To see a brief video of the gathering for the reinstatement of Ngā Pou o Heretaunga click on the image above.
For landscape architect Lizzie Burns and office manager Moana Potaka, of Wayfinder, attending a dawn ceremony for the reinstatement of 18 of the 19 pou, after a period of restoration, made Friday 20 June one of “pride and connection”.
“Seeing the pou back on site, where they have lived since their unveiling in 2013, refreshed and in a newly integrated way was absolutely amazing,” says Lizzie.
“At the dawn ceremony it was especially moving to see the gathering of whānau who whakapapa to the marae that each pou separately originates from and faces towards, and to hear the singing of their respective waiata.
“A milestone like this was a reminder of how the mahi we do quietly behind the scenes has an impact at personal and community levels. It’s a powerful thing to be a part of.
Wayfinder’s landscape design input ranged across several elements of the whole site. (LAA will feature more on this in July).
Lizzie: “In terms of Ngā Pou o Heretaunga a key aspect we worked on was how best to provide more breathing space between the pou while retaining the relative relationships of the original layout.
“The amount of work on each pou differed according to the effects of weathering since the work done by the tohunga whakairo (master carvers). Structures holding them in place also needed attention”.
As reported by Linda Hall in Hawkes Bay Today the pou are more than carvings.
“They are living expressions of whakapapa, mana and whanaungatanga. Their return to the square brings a renewed sense of presence and strength,” said Te Uira Tōmoana, who worked on behalf of Ngā Marae o Heretaunga Charitable Trust as a project manager,
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the council was proud to support the rededication and acknowledged the ongoing guardianship of the pou by mana whenua. “We are privileged to have them returned to the heart of our city,” she said.
This year Matariki has a special theme, Matariki mā Puanga, which acknowledges that for some iwi Māori in Aotearoa, New Year is signalled by the arrival of Puanga, the brightest star in the Orion constellation.
In a speech on 20 June Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro expressed the hope that Matariki will “encourage New Zealanders to pause and reflect about their relationship with the natural world, and resolve to tread lightly on the earth, to care for our rivers and oceans, and learn to live with the planet – to learn from matauranga Māori, from the tohu of the taiao – the signs of the environment”, adding “there is so much to learn that will help us with food security, protection of biodiversity and restoration of healthy ecosystems”.
One of the garden’s signs is missing above. Can you name the whetū (star)? Photo montage: Stephen Olsen.
For the second year, Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā is marking Matariki through signage to celebrate the maturing putaputawētā in its display garden, with each planting representing a different whetū (star). Each sign invited visitors to reflect on the cultural meaning of each whetū. The planing of the display was supported by the Onslow Garden Club and an anonymous donor.
Puanga is a single whetū. It’s not part of the Matariki cluster but appears in the evening sky shortly before Matariki rises each year. Puanga can only be seen by a few iwi – those who are in parts of the Far North, Taranaki, Whanganui, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Te Awa Kairangi, and parts of Te Waipounamu.
Cornwall Park in Tāmaki Makaurau is embracing the whetū Waipunarangi this year in an exhibition called ‘Matariki Weather’. The exhibition will run until the end of August at the Huia Lodge Discovery Hub..
Photo: Cornwallpark.co.nz
If there are events or other activities in your rohe that are energising your Matariki and that showcase te ao Māori connections to landscape for you, please share them to us at laaotearoa@nzila.co.nz We’re keen to do another compilation during July.