Celebrate our New Year

A space in front of the wharenui, or stage in a large room. There are beanbags and tables in the centre.

Mānawatia a MatarikiCelebrate our New Year

Mānawa maiea te putanga o Matariki
Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi
Mānawa maiea te mātahi o te tau!

Celebrate the rise of Matariki
Celebrate the great cluster of stars
Celebrate the New Year!

Mānawatia a Matariki me Puanga – ko te tohu o te Mātahi i Aotearoa, ko te whitinga o te kāhui o Matariki, ā, mō ētahi, ko te whitinga mai o Puanga. Maharatia rātou kua whetūrangi, mānawa tahitia i te taha o ngā tau kahurangi, tohaina mai ngā wawata mō te tau e ara mai nei.

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Celebrate Matariki and Puanga – the beginning of the New Year in Aotearoa New Zealand, marked by the rising of the Matariki star cluster and for some, the whetū Puanga. Reflect on those who’ve passed, celebrate with loved ones, and share your aspirations for the year ahead.

When | Āhea

Where | Ki hea

Rongomaraeroa, our marae, Level 4

Cost | Te utu

Free with museum entry

Ages | TE REANGA

All ages

Accessibility | E wātea ana ki

Wheelchair accessible
Some beanbags available, as well as hard-backed chairs
Activity tables for writing and drawing have chairs
Music plays in the space
Headphones used for one activity
Variable lighting, especially on sunny days
Toilets are beside Rongomaraeroa in the entrance from Mana Whenua
No food and drink on the marae

Find out more about accessibility at Te Papa

Mānawatia te Mātahi o te Tau Māori ki te pokapū o Mānawatia a Matariki.

Hono tahi mai i te taha o ngā whānau me ngā hoa ki Rongomaeroa, hei whakanui i te Mātahi o te Tau – mānawatia, maharatia, manakotia.

Ākona te maramataka, me tōna whakanui e ngā iwi, e ngā hapū, me ngā whānau o Aotearoa.

Mānawatia

Mānawatia tēnei kaupeka me ngā hohenga mō ngā tau katoa. Whakarukea ō taera ki ngā mahi karakara me ngā kēmu, tūhurangia te mātauranga pūtaiao o te kāhui whetū, toroa ngā arawātea ki te whakanui i ngā hararei mā ngā matapā matihiko. Noho ahuru mai ki ngā tūru pīni, tahuri mai rā ki ngā waiata pārekareka e mānawa nei i ngā puoro Māori.

Maharatia

Hei whakamānawa i a Pōhutukawa (te whetū o ngā mate kua whetūrangi), maharatia te hunga kua whetūrangi. Wheakotia te ātea oro pū hei whakaahuru i ngā raumahara.

Manakotia

Ko te kōwhitinga o Matariki me Puanga, he wā whakamoe tau. Tuhia tāu oati, ka tāpiri ki te pātū whakairi manako, kia marutuna ai koe i ngā manako a ētahi atu. Whakaaroa hoki te oranga o te taiao, o te whānau me te toiora.

Matariki 2025 at Te Papa

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

Panel talks: Kōrero Matariki

4, 11, and 18 Jun
Join us for weekly kōrero with guest speakers, as they share te ao Māori understandings of health and wellbeing, featuring taonga from our collections.

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

plenty serious TALK TALK

11, 12, and 14 Jun
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.

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

After Dark: Matariki

13 Jun
Celebrate the rising of Matariki and Puanga, with an evening of music, storytelling, mātauranga, workshops and kai.

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

19 Jun
Learn about karetao, and create a mini kākahu.

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

Matariki activity book

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.

Te reo Māori activity book

Celebrate Māori language by learning Māori words and phrases through simple activities. Download two free activity books for kids – focused on pronunciation, the other includes more word searches, crossword, colouring pages, and stories.

Kia kitea akeDiscover more

A night sky with stars visible and start of a sunrise.

Puanga is the star of Matariki 2025

The 2025 theme of Matariki mā Puanga highlights communities who observe Puanga astronomical traditions and is all about celebrating and learning about the Māori new year together.

Find out more about this year's theme on the Matariki website.

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

Matariki 2025 at Te Papa

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

What and who is Matariki?

Learn about the stars of Matariki, watch a video showing you how to find the cluster, and test your knowledge in our quiz.

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.

Puanga in the night sky (the brightest star in the photograph)

Astronomers explain Puanga and Matariki

Richard Hall, President of the Phoenix Astronomical Society, and Vice President Ian Cooper explain when we can see the star Puanga and why it’s linked to Matariki.

The location of Puanga in the mid-winter sky

The difference between Puanga and Matariki

Some iwi celebrate Puanga rather than Matariki. Che Wilson of Whanganui iwi explains why this is the case, and which iwi celebrate Puanga.

Two people standing under an open marquee tent. Both are cooking on a frypan and looking at the camera.

Watch: Matariki Kōrero – Puanga

Throughout the weeks leading up to Matariki, 2024, guest speakers gave a series of talks about kai Māori practices connected to taonga (treasures) from our collection.

This kōrero (talk) is about Puanga – the whetū (star) that for some iwi (tribes), signals the Māori New Year.

A colourful stage within a room with sunlight through coloured windows bathing the room in shades of blue and purple

Te Marae o Te Papa Tongarewa: Rongomaraeroa

Rongomaraeroa is a unique marae (meeting place) within Aotearoa New Zealand. Like all marae, it is founded on Māori principles of kawa (marae protocol) and tikanga (cultural practices) it was created for our unique museum context as a contemporary marae acknowledging the whakapapa (ancestral history) and the taonga (treasures) of all peoples who call Aotearoa New Zealand home.

Te Papa staff member Hauiti Gardiner talks to the camera. Behind him is a photograph of the night sky

Watch: How to find the Matariki star cluster

Educator Hauiti Gardiner shows you how to find the Matariki star cluster during the Māori New Year, which falls in the month of Pipiri (June–July).

Uncle Pare stands in his kitchen. He wear a black and white striped shirt, black scarf, glasses, and a black brimmed hat. His kitchen is overflowing with a well organised array of bottles, utensils, plates, and jars

How to celebrate Matariki

What to do during Matariki, a time to spend with your whānau, with waiata (songs), whakataukī (proverbs), and more.

Matariki learning programme and education resources

Download Matariki and maramataka teaching resources to use in your classroom, or book a Matariki education visit for your ECE or primary students.

Tuna (eel) with blue eyes staring into the camera.

Watch: Matariki Kōrero – Waitī

Throughout the weeks leading up to Matariki, 2024, guest speakers give a series of talks about kai Māori (Māori food) practices connected to taonga (treasures) from our collection.

This kōrero talk is about Waitī – the whetū (star) associated with fresh water.

A pigeon with a white front is sitting in a tree.

Watch: Matariki Kōrero: Tipuārangi

Throughout the weeks leading up to Matariki, 2024, guest speakers give a series of talks about kai Māori (Maori food) practices connected to taonga (treasures) from our collection.

This kōrero is about Tipuārangi – the whetū (star) associated with all that lives and grows in the trees.

Photo of a country hut in the foreground and a star-filled night sky behind it

Quiz: How much do you know about Matariki and the Maramataka?

You’ve read our Matariki resources – now it’s time to test your knowledge!

A view of deep space showing the star Puanga (also known as Rigel)

Matariki: regional variations

Matariki isn’t universally observed, due to a variety of reasons – including the fact that the cluster is not visible to everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand. Learn about regional variations in marking te Mātahi o te Tau (the Māori new year).

A woman in a long blue dress is tying a note to a wall of white paper notes.

Matariki kōrero: What’s in an exhibition? With Dan Parke

As part of this year’s Matariki celebrations, Exhibition Experience Developer Dan Parke talks about creative storytelling in the Mānawatia a Matariki exhibition space on Rongomaraeroa, the marae here at Te Papa.

Four views of the same digging implement with a carved top and a step strapped on with cord.

Matariki kōrero with Aroha Matchitt-Millar

Public Programming Specialist, Kaupapa Māori Aroha Matchitt-Millar (Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāti Tarāwhai, Ngāi Tūhoe) talks about her connection to Matariki and mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and shares her kōrero (talk) about the 2024 theme, Matariki Heri Kai, the feast of Matariki.