Mānawatia a Matariki 2023 at AUT

Mānawa maiea te putanga o Matariki  | Celebrate the rising of Matariki

Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi  |  Celebrate the rising of the lord of the sky

Mānawa maiea te Mātahi o te tau  |  Celebrate the rising of the New Year

The rising of the constellation of Matariki that heralds the start of the Māori new year is now a formal public holiday in Aotearoa New Zealand - and celebrations are planned for across our university, Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau (AUT).

Matariki has become a major cultural and public event, drawing on centuries of Māori astronomy and knowledge around the seasons, calendar, and environment.

It is a time for remembrance, celebrating the present and looking to the future.

As such, the University embarks on Matariki with a Kawe Aroha – Service of Remembrance at our marae, where we will pay tribute to and honour those members of our whānau who have passed away over the past year.

A series of participatory events are also planned for all three campuses, culminating in a large celebration where we will formally welcome our Vice-Chancellor to the University, reflect on the past year and set goals for the year ahead.

As a gift to aid in the learning of the mātauranga of Matariki, AUT’s Te Tari Takawaenga Māori (Māori student support) has commissioned Bachelor of Design student Hāriata Mann to make artwork of the nine stars.

The 11-poster pack is available for download to the public for free from the AUT website.

Current students are also invited to submit artwork to our inaugural Matariki Art Competition, with the theme “what does Matariki mean to you”. The competition closes on June 16, with cash prizes up for grabs and selected art works being displayed during the week of Matariki celebrations at the University.

The film Ad Parnassum - Purapurawhetū will screen at select times on video walls around campus.

And to get 50 cents off inu wera during our week of Matariki celebrations, use the greeting "mānawatia a Matariki" at The Counter, Refuel or #newsfeed on our city campus or KaiFe on our Manukau campus.