Reflecting on Matariki.

As we reflect on the past year there have been many highlights alongside all the amazing whānau who flow through our doors and all the happenings that have taken place here at Whare Manaaki. These have included the offerings from our maara kai involving an abundant hue (gourd) season of growing, harvesting and now going through the drying process, our wāhine wānanga, a noho marae, whānau days, our growth and sharing within the space of Taonga pūoro, the poipoinga (nuturing) of ongoing hononga (connections), our space of Whānau ora navigating and watching those who we work closely with move from strength to strength. It is and continues to be a real privilege being within our Whare.

Matariki has been a time of resting, resetting, reconnecting, learning and sharing knowledge. We have enjoyed showcasing our exhibition Te Hā o Matariki, at Left Bank Art Gallery. Our team did several sessions with local organisations, sharing traditional stories and mātauranga to increase understanding and awareness of this beautiful practice within our hāpori. Recently we celebrated Matariki by seeing in te Tau Hou Māori with a Hautapu at Arahura awa followed by the sharing of kai and kōrero at Arahura Marae which was a beautiful traditional celebration of Matariki.

As reflection of the last year continues, Matariki has also been a time to look ahead and focus on future planning. We have a lot of exciting kaupapa coming up this year, including our new permaculture & composting kaupapa and an exciting new opportunity for those starting or refreshing their Te Reo Māori journey.