Te Maramataka - the Māori lunar calendar meaning the turning of the moon, is a way of life and indicates the importance of being connected spiritually, physically and emotionally with all living things. Matariki is a special time of year in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is the name given to a cluster of stars that rise in midwinter, signalling the beginning of a new year.

We’re inviting ākonga to celebrate Matariki and join an online, after-school code club session where they will work through a Matariki themed Scratch project. The session is an hour long from 3:30pm - 4:30pm Thursday June 23. Instructions are available in te reo Māori and English and participants will add their own stories to each star in the Matariki cluster.

What are some of the stories about Matariki where you are from?

The different stars we can see and when we see them is dependent on where we are in or outside Aotearoa. In fact many other places all over the world celebrate the cluster with their own names and stories. Its ancient Greek name is Pleiades, it is known as the Seven Sisters in English and Streoillín in Irish. In Hawaii it is Makali’i, ‘eyes of royalty', and in Japan it is Subaru, meaning ‘gathered together’.

Maybe you can see 9 stars, or 7. Perhaps your local Iwi celebrate the rising of another star, Puanga, instead.

Join our session to get started on the project, then add the stories of your whakapapa and ancestors to complete it.