Skip Content
Rangi

Professor Rangi Mataamua, the Tūhoe astronomer who worked with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa to develop the popular Te Iwa o Matariki roadshow exhibition, has been awarded the Prime Minister’s science communications prize from the Royal Society of New Zealand.

The $75,000 prize is awarded to a practicing scientist who can demonstrate an interest, passion and aptitude for science communication and public engagement and is for his work raising awareness about the significance of Matariki.

Professor Mataamua helped Te Wānanga o Aotearoa develop the popular Te Iwa o Matariki roadshow in 2016, which toured the North Island and helped educate New Zealanders about Matariki, particularly the fact that Matariki has nine stars, not seven as previously thought.

He has also discussed Matariki on the Taringa podcast, with new Matariki-themed episodes due this month, some of which will screen on Māori TV.

His book, Matariki: The Star of the Year, is a best seller and he was involved in the development of Vector Lights for Matariki Festival which illuminates the Auckland Harbour Bridge during Matariki.

Matariki is the Māori name for a cluster of stars which is visible in our night sky at a specific time of the year. In June or July, Matariki will re-appear in the dawn sky – signalling the start of the Māori New Year.

It is a time to celebrate new life, to remember those who’ve passed and to plan for the future. And it’s a time to spend with whānau and friends – to enjoy kai (food), waiata (song), tākaro (games) and haka.

Our tūpuna (ancestors) would look to Matariki for help with their harvesting. When Matariki disappeared in April/May, it was time to preserve crops for the winter season. When it re-appeared in June/July, tūpuna would read the stars to predict the upcoming season – clear and bright stars promised a warm and abundant winter while hazy stars warned of a bleak winter.

Professor Matamua has been researching Matariki for more than 30 years and as part of his research, he found that some of his own tūpuna were able to see nine stars.

The nine visible stars include: Matariki, Tupuārangi, Waipuna-ā-Rangi, Waitī, Tupuānuku, Ururangi, Waitā, Pōhutukawa and Hiwa-i-te-Rangi.

Each star holds a certain significance over our wellbeing and environment, as seen from the Māori view of the world.

Because Māori follow the Māori lunar calendar, not the European calendar, the dates for Matariki change every year. This year the key Matariki viewing period is from 13-20 July. While it may be visible earlier, those dates coincide with a positive lunar phase, which determines the best time to view Matariki.

As knowledge and engagement with Matariki continues to grow across Aotearoa, we’ve got the resources to keep you – and the kids - up with the play.

You can download a range of Matariki resources from our website, including posters, Facebook photo frames, colouring books and more.

To download these resources, visit our website.

https://www.twoa.ac.nz/hononga-stay-connected/te-iwa-o-matariki#downloadable-resources

 
 Back to news & events

Published On: 13 July, 2020

Article By: Tracey Cooper



Other Articles

  • 27 March 2025

    A whakairo journey shaped by art and community

    Murray ‘Muzz’ Green (Te Kanawa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Whatakaraka, Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Te Kiriwai, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāti Ngutū, Whānau-a-Apanui and Ngāti Porou) left school at 15 when he realised conventional education wasn’t for him.

  • 20 March 2025

    Nāwai i tauira, kua kaiako

    Ahakoa he rerekē noa atu te ao i tipu ake ai a Rob Bromley i tāna e mōhio nei i tēnei rā, nō te ohinga ake, ka rongo ia i tētahi hao ki te reo Māori.

  • 10 March 2025

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa recognised as leader in Māori HR

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was awarded the prestigious Mana Tangata Award at the 2025 NZ HR Excellence Awards on Thursday 27 February in Tāmaki Makaurau.

  • 06 March 2025

    A kaiako who built more than a course

    When Peter Waaka arrived in Queenstown many years ago, with a career spanning government work, hotel management, and Māori development teaching wasn’t on his radar. But life has a way of leading us in unexpected directions, and for Peter, that was helping tauira turn their business ideas into reality.