Making traditional Māori manu tukutuku or a contemporary Kite to display at this year's Matariki Festival are from left, tutor Zoe Smith, Zanthie Parkinson-Knight, 9, her sister Lexi Parkinson-Knight, 7, and Matariki co-ordinator Sharne Parkinson. An Invercargill festival, now in its second year, plans to shine a new light for Matariki in the south, after years of no celebrations at all. Matariki festival co-ordinator Sharne Parkinson​ said it was important that Matariki was celebrated in Murihiku (Southland), as it hadn’t been for many years. Last year focused on the Matariki story, that it included nine stars, not seven as was commonly believed, she said. They needed 10 people per night to cover the four nights of the festival starting from July 16 to July 19.

Source: Stuff July 12, 2020 00:33 UTC