Latest news with #Matariki
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
‘Gift' of Olveston celebrated on Matariki
Lynda Short, left, with daughter Catherine Short, and granddaughter Grace Thompson, take a tour of Olveston yesterday as part of the Matariki celebrations. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Nearly 200 people stepped back in time on Matariki yesterday. The people, mostly locals, were taking the opportunity to visit the historic Olveston house in Dunedin for the cost of an ice cream. Olveston home supervisor Alec McWhirter said offering the community the chance to visit the place for a nominal fee was in the spirit of Matariki. "It honours the wonderful gift the Theomins family gave us; and looks back as well as forward to the future. "We had at least 100 people through the home by noon; I would say there were at least 180 visitors to the home [yesterday]. "It's one of our busiest days of the year and certainly when we see the most locals. It's just really wonderful there are so many people who tell us that they've always wanted to come ... so we're really engaging with the community." Opened as a historic house museum in 1967, Olveston is a time capsule as little has changed inside the house since it was occupied as a family home from 1906 to 1966. "I think what really retains its appeal is the fact that, you know, everything here is original," Mr McWhirter said. "We live in this city with all these wonderful old buildings and all this wonderful architecture, but the insides have changed so much, whereas Olveston retains that kind of essence of the time. "People love learning those stories but also really connecting with the story of the Theomin family and learning how they contributed to their city and their time."
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
A time to express hopes and dreams
Fires were burning not long after 4am, a ceremony was under way at 5am and a new year was welcomed by a good gathering at Dunedin's Araiteuru Marae. Marae manager Tania Sharee Williams described the occasion yesterday as a chance to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the next, see friends and gather for kai. "We remember the dead and we say out their names through ceremony." Tania Sharee Williams celebrates Matariki at the Araiteuru Marae in Dunedin yesterday. PHOTOS: PETER MCINTOSH The occasion was also about expressing aspirations and dreams, "for our family, our hapū, our iwi, our marae, our country". Ms Williams was impressed by the 5am turnout at the Shetland St marae in Wakari, celebrating the new year on the Matariki public holiday. "We had about 80 people turn up and we had a wonderful gathering outside where we went through our hautapu ceremony," she said. Acknowledging Matariki at Dunedin's Araiteuru Marae yesterday morning were (from left) Anke Fronius, Martin Fronius and Teodora Georgescu, with her dog Roland. "We acknowledge the kahui whetu, which is the stars of Matariki, and we understand that each one of them has a role where they have an effect on different parts of the environment that give us resourcing for sustenance." People sometimes wrote messages and placed them in the fire, she said. Commemorating loved ones could be empowering, "especially for people who have recently in this last year lost someone — to be able to remember that person again through ceremony is easing for the heart". People of various nationalities were there, including a couple from France and a young man from China. "We were blessed that the rain held off for us," she said. "It was quite mild and — just all the fires burning, the torches going, as well as the cooking of the food for our kahui whetu — created a really warm ambience."
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Matariki drone shows ‘all on'
Drones form the shape of a bird seemingly perched on University of Otago buildings during a rehearsal for Matariki displays at Logan Park, Dunedin. Two shows this evening are expected to be watched by thousands of people. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY The weather should be settled enough for Matariki drone shows in Dunedin to proceed successfully tonight and draw big crowds, an organiser says. "Wind's looking good. Rain's going away, so she's all on at this stage," Drone Sky Shows director Shane Wild said. The plan is for Dunedin's night sky to dazzle with drone lights, weaving local stories into the stars, from 6pm and 8.30pm at Logan Park. Last year's event attracted 15,000 people, prompting organisers to extend the event footprint across the park this year and have a large area for food trucks and dining. The MetService forecast scattered showers today would clear by noon. Tomorrow is set aside as a contingency night, just in case the conditions prove to be problematic. "I expect it to be fine [tonight]. Wind's low, no rain — we're all go," Mr Wild said. He described meticulous preparation to implement the vision. "We've got specialised people that do all the choreography for the show and make that wow factor," Mr Wild said. A pilot would run the software, and another pilot would be on standby. "So, he's got a manual control, too, if we need some help from him." The show was produced in collaboration with mana whenua and cultural and cultural advisers. Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou and Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki representatives Tāwini White and Paulette Tamati-Elliffe issued a joint statement about the project and Matariki generally. "This drone show celebrates our environment and traditional mahika kai, the procurement of highly valued natural resources that have sustained mana whenua over generations," they said. The 2025 theme acknowledged Matariki and Puaka as important stars. "During the national hautapu that was hosted by Ōtākou last year, a karakia for Puaka was included, as well as karakia to the stars of Matariki, to celebrate both," the mana whenua representatives said. "Together, they guide us into a season of reflection, celebration and hope. "It is a time of growth for our customs and our knowledge is strengthened through practice that can be shared with our community."
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Back to basics for star celebration
Teacher Jessie Reynolds helps Arrowtown Preschool tamariki prepare vege soup for Monday's Matariki celebration. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Arrowtown's Matariki celebrations will have a more homespun feel than in recent years. In a return to its origins as an Arrowtown Preschool event, the preschool's teamed up with the township's primary school and kōhanga reo group to hold a low-key celebration for children and their families this coming Monday. Preschool manager Jane Foster says all the tamariki have spent the past week or so investigating one of the nine stars of the Matariki cluster. "Each class or group have taken a star and designed an art piece around that." The children will come together at the primary school to show off the fruits of their artistic labours, with their whanau invited to come along at 3pm. There'll then be an official opening by local te ao Māori authority Cory Ratahi and kapa haka performances. There'll also be a hangi, sausages, hot chocolate, chips and s'mores, and the Matariki-inspired art will be exhibited in the school hall, Foster says. As revealed by Scene in March, the preschool held a Matariki celebration for many years, but handed it over to the Arrowtown Promotion and Business Association in 2022 when increasingly onerous council requirements made the event too big for its volunteers to manage. However, the association offered it back to the preschool last year after the costs of meeting those requirements — such as fencing, toilets, first aid, security, and waste and carbon mileage tracking — reached the point where it decided it would need to start charging an entry fee.
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
A fashionable celebration of cultures
Fashion brought together Māori and Indian culture at an evening celebrating Matariki in the Capital. The occasion, which marks the New Year for New Zealand's Māori people, begins when a special group of stars appears in the sky in June or July. Back in Delhi, the evening began with a fashion show, hosted by the New Zealand High Commission in collaboration with the Fashion Design Council of India and Education New Zealand. Student teams from both countries presented ensembles that meshed Māori traditions with Indian textiles. There was also a Māori dance by the group Ngati Koraha. 'This is a special occasion for us as we mark Matariki, the Maori New Year, here in India,' said New Zealand High Commissioner Patrick Rata. FDCI Chairman Sunil Sethi said, 'We are proud to support cross-cultural initiatives that inspire young talent to think global while honouring their roots.' Minister of State for External Affairs of India, Pabitra Margherita, was also there as the chief guest.
