Let Matariki speak to us

It is a great source of delight to me that we have things unique to us, which are exclusively our own – that is, things particular, or indigenous to New Zealand. I won’t attempt listing items although it would be fun to do so, but given my allotted 500 words for this opinion piece, I’d run myself short in focussing on tomorrow’s unique national celebration. Our very own Matariki.

A Maori elder shares the stories of Matariki. Photo: Matariki.co.nz

Murray Smith

This year I hope to see again those sparkling jewels in the sky that appear in the Southern Hemisphere around June  (mid winter). Up until the first half of July, for Māori, this season traditionally announces the new year on their lunar calendar. It is a time to celebrate the earth – show respect for the land and the crops it produces. The brighter the stars, the more productive a harvest could be expected.

On June 24, 2022 we had our nation’s inaugural commemoration to mark the appearance of the Matariki cluster of stars sometimes known as the ‘Seven Sisters’, or perhaps more widely known as the Pleiades. I remember standing outside on that eve of our new national Matariki holiday, well before dawn, at the beach on the east coast of Coromandel. The skies were clear… a beautiful ‘inky’ dark blue colour.

Matariki. Photo: Matariki.co.nz

I had been told there are hundreds of stars in the Matariki cluster, but only six or seven are visible without a telescope. Staring up into the vast grandeur of space without the luxury of a telescope, I scanned the heavens in the area I was informed to search in and as my eyes adjusted, felt confident that against the vast backdrop of myriads of other stars, some particularly ‘sparkly’ ones were introducing themselves as members of the Matariki whānau. The lasting impression was the feeling of how small we are, by contrast with the universe’s immensity… yet paradoxically, the nearness of the Creator who designed its order, and sustains the patterns which the stars display. Such consistency afforded our forebears reliable navigation across oceans. How did such order come about and what maintains it?

It’s explained by Bible passages written thousands of years ago. Here’s a few…“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” (Psalm 8)

Matariki. Photo: Matariki.co.nz

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth and their words to all the world.” (Psalm 19)

In the Book of Job (the Bible’s oldest book, 3500BC), God is rightfully credited as the One who “set the stars in place, the Big Dipper and Orion, the Pleiades and the stars in the southern sky…” There’s nothing random or arbitrary about the countless stars in their constellations – their very creation and ordered precision demands a Creator. Disavowing that, is like claiming an explosion of ink in a print shop, produced the Oxford Dictionary.

God directs the stars in their courses…as He reaches out to us this Matariki.

Matariki. Original image: Messier 45 Open cluster by Filip Lolić / CC 3.0. This image has been edited (rotated, cropped and stars tagged) by Parliamentary Library, part of the Parliamentary Service.

More Recent News

News in brief

Nicky wins 700 Nicky Chilcott notched up her 700th win as a driver in the last race at Cambridge Raceway’s Night of Champions tonight. The rank outsider, trained by Tim Hall at the raceway, won…

It’s great to create

Lori Neels describes quilting as “cheaper than therapy.” The award-winning quilter is part of the Cambridge Patchwork and Craft group which meet every fortnight at the Taylor Made Community Space. Members displayed the results of…

Scout’s honour for Riley

Riley Willmoth is a prize-winning tramper. The 14-year-old Cambridge Scout Group member and Cambridge High School pupil walked away from this year’s Scouts Aotearoa Waikato Zone Velocity Venturer Programme Course with a prize for an…

Taut on the recruiting front

A Waipā principal says schools are struggling to recruit teachers and the fields of applicants is as thin as he has seen in 25 years in the role. “High quality experienced teachers are increasingly difficult…