I first recall hearing about Matariki in the early 2000s, right as I was really beginning to engage with mātauranga - Māori knowledge, culture values and worldview - through working with Māori communities and colleagues. Matariki is celebrated when the Matariki group of stars rises in the pre-dawn, in the month of Pipiri, in the Tangaroa phase (last quarter). According to mātauranga Māori experts from the far north, the New Year starts during the first full moon, called Rākaunui, for some. This follows the appearance of Te Puanga, and when the tide is incoming, called the Taipari (Rereata Makiha in Harris et al. STEPHEN CHADWICK/Stuff Stephen Chadwick's photo of the Matariki cluster that's part of the Matariki- Deep Space exhibition at Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom.

Source: Stuff July 23, 2020 16:52 UTC