Twinkling in the winter sky just before dawn, Matariki (the Pleiades) signals the Māori New Year. Our tūpuna (ancestors) looked to Matariki for help with harvesting crops for the winter and also used the stars to predict the upcoming season. Traditionally, Matariki is a time for remembering the dead, celebrating new life, a time to spend with whānau and friends sharing kai and enjoying manaakitanga (hospitality).
The observance of Matariki in New Zealand was essentially non-existent, however there has been a resurgence in recent times making it popular again. It seems even more so now since it was announced last year that there would be a public holiday recognising Matariki. Like Easter is dictated by the night skies, so too is Matariki meaning the public holiday will change according to when the cluster of stars appears in the sky.
Given the spirit of Matariki is sharing and celebrating with whānau and friends what does this mean for the hospitality industry? Matariki is a good time to reflect on where you are in the world, reawaken old skills and try out new ones, with a little bit of homework you could try something new to observe Matariki in your establishment.
“Matariki is a celebration of the greatness of Māori” – Rex Morgan, Hangi Master.
Speaking with Rex Morgan (Kai Tahu, Te Arawa), a well respected Māori chef and consultant, he likes that there is a new interpretation of Matariki. He believes that we’ve now moved on from the times of our ancestors when the main food was kūmara and seafood and have so many flavours to create sumptuous hākari (feasts) with. Rex admits to still learning about the finer points (tikanga) of Matariki, yet despite this he feels that Matariki is a celebration of the greatness of Māori.
Rex believes in “little bits” at a time, doing your homework and making sure that you don’t exploit the holiday taking time to ensure we remember the fundamental meaning of the occasion.
Matariki is unique to New Zealand and totally different in significance to Waitangi day. He believes that as long as your business is celebrating Matariki in a positive way, that’s all that matters. Anything is good as long as it’s done in a respectful way.
Celebrating Matariki at Queens Wharf.
Rex and fellow legendry chef Peter Gordon (Ngāti Kahungungu, Ngāi Tahu) have teamed up with seven other Māori chefs to present a hākari (feast) for 500 guests at Queens Wharf in Auckland to herald in the Puanga Matariki where they intend to showcase the rich depth of flavour and manaakitanga of Aotearoa. They have a stellar line up of musicians and will pair the hākari with outstanding New Zealand wines. This will become an annual event hosted in different locations around Aotearoa.
Peter is excited that Matariki has been made a public holiday (from 2022) in Aotearoa New Zealand. He notes that restaurants and cafes have long been celebrating occasions such as Valentine’s Day and he hopes that restaurants will also encourage their customers to come and celebrate Matariki. Given the hard times that the hospitality industry has experienced through COVID 19 he believes Matariki is a great opportunity to reflect on the year that’s past and plan for a positive new year.
Peter is no beginner at celebrating Matariki. A while back he hosted and cooked a huge hangi for a hākari at Turangawaewae Marae. He is encouraged that now more New Zealanders recognise Matariki and says it’s a wonderful national holiday for us all to celebrate.
Since moving back to New Zealand (two days before the first lockdown of 2020), Peter and his partner Alastair have set up Homeland in Auckland. They work very closely with their suppliers such as the Papatuanuku Marae, buying whatever produce they have from their garden and creating their menus around seasonally available produce. The Marae plant according to the maramataka planting seeds that will grow in the given seasons.
Matariki at Coco’s Cantina.
Another iconic restaurant, Auckland’s “Coco’s Cantina” is taking a different tack. Rather than hosting a single Matariki themed event, they are hosting a collection of events designed to educate and improve understanding of the occasion. They are hosting a wānanga evening featuring a dinner and guest speaker Dr Rangi Mātāmua (Matariki and Māori Astronomy expert) alongside a Matariki Mākete (market) providing Māori artisans with a space to connect.
“Matariki could become Aotearoa’s ‘Thanksgiving” -Ben Bayly, Ahi
Ben Bayly of Ahi, the Grounds and Aosta sums up perfectly the way for the hospitality industry to view Matariki, he believes that the newly minted public holiday should be viewed as Aotearoa’s “Thanksgiving Day”. Ben sees Matariki as a time for reflection. Given it occurs in the depth of winter he believes it is a time to hunker down, review how the previous year has been and recalibrate. Ben spends time speaking with his suppliers to see for instance what would be the best seeds to plant for the spring harvest in their secret garden.
Ben’s mate Rewi Spraggon has been a great mentor to him, inspiring him and sharing the stories of how the elders strived and survived. Rewi the giver of knowledge has inspired many with his prowess at laying a Hangi and passes on knowledge to other restaurateurs to ensure the legacy continues.
The Hangi Master and Ahi collaboration.
Joining together this Matariki Ben and Rewi are hosting an “Hangi meets long lunch” at Ahi serving a combination of plated and sharing platter dishes using produce such as hangi pork cheek, titi (mutton bird), hangi paua and burnt sugar pudding also cooked in the Hangi. Not ones to let small challenges like lighting a fire for the hangi pit in Central Auckland get in their way, they will bring the flavours of Te Hinga in West Auckland to Ahi, cooking the hangi there and transporting it to the restaurant and then transforming the produce from the hangi into a sensational hākari (feast).
It seems talking to all these inspirational chefs that Matariki is growing as an important food celebration in New Zealand. It’s a moment to recognise and celebrate the incredible produce of our whenua and to come together, share food and acknowledge the manaakitanga that is core to who we are as a nation.
Restaurant Association partner, Eat New Zealand have a festival celebrating Matariki, you can find out more about Matariki food celebrations and include your own events on the Feast Matariki site https://www.eatnewzealand.nz/feast-matariki
Ngā mihi o te tau hou Māori, Greetings for the Māori New year.
Written By Jane Rangiwaihia
