A Matariki public holiday would be for all New Zealanders to share, Te Tai Tonga Labour MP Rino Tirikatene says. In one of its last acts before going into the school holiday recess, Parliament passed the first reading of the Te Kahui o Matariki Public Holiday Bill. ‘‘We are voting on a Maori public holiday,’’ he said. ‘‘A Maori public holiday and one that is for all New Zealanders to share in. That is wonderful.’’To the credit of those opposed to a Matariki holiday, the argument of National and Act New Zealand against Matariki was an economic rather than a cultural one.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 08, 2021 15:32 UTC