Ko tēnei te wā o Matariki tāpuapua. It is the time of Matariki. Rāpare (Thursday) 18 Pipiri (June) 2015 is the start of the Māori New Year. Join the Christchurch celebrations at the Botanic Gardens on Sunday 21 June, and at Rehua Marae on Saturday 27 June.
- Find out what is happening for Matariki in Ōtautahi.
- Discover more about Matariki.
- Information on Matariki for kids.
Tell us in the comments what Matariki means to you, and then you are in the draw to win a Kobo Glo eReader! You can use your prize to enjoy our collection of eBooks and eMagazines.
Terms and conditions
- You must be a member of Christchurch City Libraries to be eligible to win an eReader.
- The competition is not open to staff of Christchurch City Libraries or their immediate families.
- The competition closes Sunday 5pm 21 June 2015.
- The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into and prizes are not transferable.
- Winners will be contacted by Sunday 28 June 2015.
- If you are a winner, you consent to your name, photograph, entry and/or interview being used for reasonable publicity purposes by Christchurch City Libraries.
Christchurch City Libraries Blog 
Matariki means it’s my mother’s birthday. I love the connection of her birth with the arrival of Matariki. Apart from that, Matariki is a time for me to reflect on how much I have yet to learn about Aotearoa.
That’s lovely – it is special to have a birthday Matariki connection.
Yes, it feels right, somehow.
Kia ora Gallivanta – you are the winner in our Matariki competition. You’ve won a Kobo Glo eReader. I will be in touch soon about getting it to you. Congratulations.
Thanks Donna. Very exciting.
Beautiful art work coming home from school celebrating matariki. Great to see our children learning about matariki.
Thanks Catherine – the schools are doing a stellar Matariki job.
For me, Matariki marks the change from the beautiful crisp days of autumn to the damp (or, hopefully, snowy!) days of winter. It’s when we spend more time indoors with whanau and friends.
For me, this year’s Matariki means a full immersion weekend for my Te reo Māori course, and lots of learning, laughing and chatting about the meaning of Matariki.