Celebrating Matariki 2024

The Matariki Pēwhairangi Festival, put on by Jacman Entertainment, returns for the fourth year and takes place between June 21 and July 14 in venues and locations across the Far North.

href=”https://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/matariki-maori-new-year/” target=”_blank”>Matariki is about spending time with those we love, remembering those we have lost, sharing knowledge and food and making plans for the future. Activities mainly take place over the Matariki long weekend or July school holidays.

The Waitangi Treaty Grounds will again open their doors for the Matariki Open Day on Sunday, June 30. This is the only day to experience guided tours and cultural performances for free. As well there are the two contemporary museums Te Rau Aroha Museum of the Price of Citizenship and Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi, Te Whare Rūnanga, the Treaty House and the traditional Māori waka.

The Old Packhouse Market in Kerikeri will host the inaugural Rongoā Māori & Wellness Expo on Sunday, June 23, with exhibitors covering all aspects of wellness.

The Feast Matariki programme featured Terra Restaurant Matariki Degustation, MĀHA at Wharepuke and PHAT House Brewery and there’s the Tohunga Tumau: Puanga Matariki Dinner on Saturday, July 6 at The Duke of Marlborough Hotel which features Māori master chefs.

More events include the Matariki Dawn Cruise operated by Explore NZ, astrophotography workshops at Kororāreka Marae and Te Waimate Mission, bone and stone carving workshops for adults and rangatahi and the free Matariki for Families at Puketi Forest.

Cathay Cinemas in Kerikeri is presenting the Matariki Film Festival with nine featured movies that showcase our culture, history and the work of Māori creatives. For more information: www.matarikinz.com.

Give us a break!

In 1902 New Zealand observed Queen Victoria’s birthday and the birthday of the Prince of Wales but by 1910 only the sovereign’s birthday was officially recognised as a public holiday.

Before that, however, a group of enterprising students in the 1840s were seeking a day off school to celebrate the Queen’s birthday. In a letter written to the headmaster, Rev William Cotton, and signed by 14 students from St John’s Collegiate School based at the Te Waimate Mission, they implored him to consider their request.

The students put their case in a classic example of schoolboy grovelling, complete with the occasional ink blot where a mistake has been made and even “rabbit’s ears” where an additional “e” has been added to “Quen” Victoria’s name:

“[We] most loyal subjects of her most gracious Majesty Queen Victoria do most humbly petition for a holiday tomorrow being the birthday of our most gracious sovereign and also as think it a most unloyal thing to have any school on such a joyful day hoping that you will grant our request we remain the undersigned …”

The suggestion cheekily implied in the text that attending school on the Queen’s birthday would somehow be an act of disloyalty and that time should be taken to celebrate the sovereign’s birthday in an appropriately joyful way, which presumably ruled out school.

It is not recorded whether the loyal students got their day off or not. If they did it could have been the first unofficial Queen’s Birthday celebration in New Zealand history, complete with a public holiday.

The letter is part of the collection at Te Waimate Mission, the historic property in Waimate North cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

‘Fingers’ restored – carver grateful for public support

Renata Tane, the lead Whakairo Kaiako at Te Pou o Manako on the Northtec Kerikeri campus, feels he has his fingers back again, or at least some of them.

Between 70 and 90 chisels belonging to Renata and Northtec were stolen in a break-in at the Kerikeri campus building just over a month ago, leaving him angry and frustrated.

Although the stolen chisels which included many used by students are still missing, concerned people from as far away as Australia have rallied to help the young master carver and have donated around 40 chisels, enabling him to get carving again.

“For carvers, losing your blades is like losing your fingers and now I feel as if I have my fingers back,” he says.

“The value of the chisels that were stolen was probably about $10,000 and I was wondering how we would ever be able to replace them.

“The tools people donated have certainly helped get us back on track and I’m really grateful to all those people who have donated the replacements.”

A number of the replacement chisels came from Renata’s old classmates from Te Puia Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua, all of whom have expressed shock at the theft.

“They can’t believe that somebody broke in and stole them because carvers know you don’t touch another carver’s blades, since each chisel is imbued with a tāpu relating to each individual carver,” he says.

Renata acknowledges the chances of getting his original blades back are remote but he is still hopeful that one day they may make a reappearance.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by the support and good wishes from people who have made contact after reading about the theft,” says Renata.

“Thanks to their support I can now continue working on a number of projects which have had to be put on hold, including the Ngāti Rehia waka.”

Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of the chisels can contact the Kerikeri police station anonymously or email renata@ngatirehia.co.nz.

New operator of Waitangi Mountain Bike Park

Abby Ngan has been appointed as the new operator of Paihia Mountain Bikes, a part of Waitangi Mountain Bike Park.

She was born and raised in the Bay of Islands. After studying Sports Management and Development at the University of Otago she travelled around South America until her home region beckoned her back.

She has been a Paihia Mountain Bikes employee in the past so she knew the park and when the opportunity came up, she decided to take on the management role. She wants to get more people active and exploring the park.

“The big focus will be on tamariki and rangatahi and my partner, Carlos, will be managing the marketing and communications,” she said.

As she steps into her new role, the park is saying farewell to the previous operators, Jonny and Georgie Martin, who have been an integral part of the mounting biking community for a number of years. Park management expressed their gratitude for their “infectious smiles and genuine passion for mounting biking”.

In the meantime, a new ramp that enables riders to get safely and cleanly over a boggy pit at the bottom of Waaraki has just been completed.

The spot often flooded but now it’s high and dry and it’s thanks to volunteer Angus Ross for creating and building the ramp.