Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea hosted their annual Mānawatia a Matariki event at Kawa Marae on Friday 28 June.
What was different to previous years? The first hautapu ceremony Kawa Marae held for Matariki in 2022 was led by the wahine, last year’s was led by the tamariki.
“This year it was time for the tāne to have their turn,” says Kawa Marae administrator, Michelle McGregor.
A hautapu ceremony involves cooked kai being pulled out of the earth with its steam being offered to the stars.
Around 180 locals committed to an early start to come and be a part of this special ceremony.
Between the ceremony and breakfast guests had the opportunity to learn waiata in the wharenui.
A catered breakfast, funded by the local board, reached capacity with 150 people attending. An open invite was extended to all locals to join in with the post-breakfast festivities.
A special viewing of the film “Whina” was accompanied by a kōrero with director Paula Whetu Jones about how the movie came about. Whina is the story of Dame Whina Cooper, the beloved Māori matriarch who worked tirelessly to improve the rights of her people.
Another feature of the day was a small market with stalls offering jewellery, clothing, artwork, weaving, some rongoā (herbal medicines and consultations), and marae merchandise.
Kawa Marae Youth Club were involved in gathering some of the kai for the hautapu ceremony and breakfast, including crayfish, eels and pig hunting, as well as decorating the Matariki cake.
The group of rangatahi also stayed the night ahead of the celebrations at the marae to help with all the preparation.
“It was a great opportunity to educate our next generation on the roles of the marae,” says chair of the Kawa Marae Trust, Jan Piahana.
Mānawatia a Matariki at Kawa Marae was supported by funding from Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board.
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