CELEBRATE MATARIKI
This year’s Matariki event programme in Tauranga Moana celebrates the themes of Waitī and Waitā. Waitī honours freshwater and its ecosystems, while Waitā focuses on saltwater and marine life, highlighting the importance of water health and our dependence on these environments.
Explore some of our top event picks below or visit the Matariki Te Tauranga website for the full list of events happening throughout Tauranga Moana and the Whakatāne District Council website for a full list of events happening throughout the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
Mānawatia a Matariki - Matariki Star Trail!
14 June-1 July | Tauranga and Mount Maunganui
matARiki Sculpture Trail
10-30 June | Tauranga and Mount Maunganui
Explore the matARiki Sculpture Trail, a family-friendly, Matariki-themed exhibition featuring augmented reality. Follow the trail through Tauranga and Mount Maunganui. Scan QR codes to view sculptures created by New Zealand Māori artists, celebrating this year’s Tauranga Moana theme: Waitī (fresh water), Waitā (salt water), and the tuna, blending past and future.
Matariki at the Village Whānau Day
22 June | The Historic Village, Tauranga
Celebrate Matariki 2024 with a one-day community Whānau Day at The Historic Village. Whānau Day includes art exhibitions, Māori performers, mākete (market stalls), creative workshops, waiata, kanikani demonstrations, kai stalls, maumahara tributes and a haka flash mob.
Mauao Always Beside You
25 June | Baycourt, Tauranga
Mauao is a devised theatre spectacular to celebrate Matariki and create new legends, featuring waiata, dance, haka and drama (monologue and poetry). The Mount Maunganui region is brimming with stories, some are ancient tales, some evoke fond memories, and others are important histories that have been forgotten over the years.
Mānawatia a Matariki 2024
27 June | Whakatāne Surf Lifesaving Club, Ōhope
Celebrate Matariki in Ōhope! Join Te Puna Ora o Mataatua for karakia, kōrero, hautapu, and parakuihi (breakfast). All ages, cultures, and backgrounds welcome. This event marks the Māori New Year, a time of remembrance and connection with our land, sky, and ancestors.
Matariki Whakapiri 2024
27 June | Te Mānuka Tūtahi, Whakatāne
Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa present Matariki Whakapiri festival at Te Mānuka Tūtahi marae to celebrate the Matariki Public Holiday in Aotearoa. The festival includes kapahaka performances, a variety of stalls, and finishing off the day with an evening of local entertainment and a night market.
A Feast Under The Stars - A Matariki Celebration at The Comm
27 June | The Comm, Whakatāne
Gather you friends and whānau and book tickets to a five-course curated Matariki menu at The Comm.
Find out more and book tickets here.
Katikati Matariki Dawn Service
28 June | Katikati
Join the Matariki Dawn Service in Katikati where you’ll be treated to commentary on how to view and identify the Matariki cluster. You’ll learn what these stars mean individually, culturally, and how their values can be embodied, practised and celebrated by our diverse community. Guests will be treated to kapa haka, intentional goal setting for the year ahead, as well as refreshments to celebrate new beginnings for the Māori New Year.
Matariki Maumaharatanga Ceremony
28 June | Mauao, Mount Maunganui
Tākina mai rā ko ngā hui o Matariki. Our invitation extends to the entire community to gather for a meaningful Maumaharatanga ceremony on Mauao. Together, we will honour and remember our departed loved ones by calling out their names. This poignant event is a tribute to their spirits rising alongside the Matariki cluster, welcomed by Te Waka o Rangi into the celestial realms. We commemorate their journey with the cherished saying ‘kua whakawhetūrangihia rātou’ (where they transform into stars for us to revere).
Pāpāmoa ‘Light up the Waterway’
Te Ara ō Wairākei Matariki 2024
28 June | Papamoa
Get ready to light up the night and join the Matariki celebrations in Pāpāmoa! Immerse yourself in an unforgettable evening of manaakitanga, whānau, live performances, and breathtaking lights.
Whakatāne Matariki Market
28 June | Mitchell Park, Whakatāne
Join us for a special market this Friday 28 June for Matariki - brought to you by the team who runs the regular Whakatāne Sunday Market. The market will showcase a variety of stalls from throughout the region & the wider Bay of Plenty. And includes stalls by local rangitahi / youth, which will be aligned to one of the kaupapa of one of the matariki stars.
Matariki Market - Lyceum Hall
29 June | Lyceum Hall, Whakatāne
Come down and support local small businesses as they come together to hold a special Matariki Market! As a small business collective, they'll have lots on offer all in the one spot so you're spoilt for shopping choice - clothing, jewellery, rongoā, art work, candles, baked goods and more!