THIS MONTH I’M Applauding…

Matariki – our first public holiday that recognises te ao Māori. Matariki is an abbreviation of “Ngā mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea” (The Eyes of the God Tāwhirimātea) and refers to a large cluster of stars, also known as the Pleiades. The predawn rising of Matariki in the mid-winter sky marks the changing of the seasons and the beginning of the Māori New Year. How wonderful to have an authentic occasion that it true to New Zealand. I plan to spend it with the ones I love.