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 Te Pua o Te Matariki |
| Nga Wahine Purotu |
| Listening to Purakau |
Matariki Festival 08
The annual Matariki Festival is under way across Auckland and North Shore City is hosting a number of events.
The city was venue for the launch of the book “Te Kahui O Matakariki: Contemporary Art of Matariki’ in conjunction with the opening of the ‘Te Kahui O Matakariki’ exhibition, a centre piece of the Festival. The book features items displayed in the exhibition which are art works of exceptionally high quality.
North Shore City Council Sector Development Officer - Arts, Sarah Dugdale said the beautiful book presents images of contemporary artwork, photography and poetry and short writings that all relate to Matariki, many of which are being exhibited at NorthArt at Northcote during the course of Matariki.
The annual festival, which celebrates the Maori New Year, was officially launched at the Auckland Museum on June 4 and will continue through to July 5.
“It’s an Auckland-wide occasion with a series of events and activities that showcase the diverse nature of Maori culture, particularly in a contemporary setting, said Dr Dugdale.
“Arts and festivals such as Matariki are very important to the North Shore City Council and we wish the various galleries and facilities taking part all the very best.”
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Background on Matariki The pre-dawn rising of the star cluster Matariki is significant to Māori and is referred to as 'Te tau hou', the new year.Matariki was traditionally a time to connect Māori to land and seafood harvesting, way-finding, and weather patterns. During mid-winter, people would also traditionally gather to farewell the dead, acknowledge the past year's activities and then greet the new-born and focus on the years ahead. Matariki was a time when people would gather to share kai, rituals, entertainment, hospitality and learnings. In more recent times, it has become a special time of the year to respect the land we live on, celebrate the unique place we live in and continue to share and grow with each other. |
Other North Shore Matariki events include:
5-22 June: Contemporary Maori Artists North of the Bridge – a group art show of invited artists at the Lake House Arts Centre.
6-8 June: A three day series of events including live demonstrations, performances and a film evening at the Awataha Marae.
7 June: A demonstration of Harekeke weaving at the Depot Artspace.
14 June: Nga Wahine Purotu A day for ladies including workshops, learning to paint, aquarobics and weaving in Bayswater.
25 June: Listening to Purakau 6pm - The Myths and Legends of Aotearoa. Northcote Library
29 June: Kapa Haka 1- 4 pm, North Shore Events Centre.
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Arts and culture