Matariki

Matariki is the Māori New Year, associated with the rising of the Matariki star cluster and with remembrance, reflection on the year just passed, and hopes for the year ahead. It became a national public holiday in 2022 through legislation that sets its dates in advance rather than tying it to a single Gregorian day.

The holiday gives a national platform to mātauranga Māori while allowing iwi, hapū, schools and households to celebrate in locally meaningful ways. It is a time for whānau, food, storytelling, waiata and looking to the night sky.

Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act describes Matariki's meaning through remembrance of those who have died, celebration of the present and preparation for the future. The legislated date was Friday, July 10 in 2026; it is not mechanically the first visible rising in every locality. Different iwi recognise Matariki or Puanga according to their own mātauranga and environment, so a national guide must not flatten distinct tikanga into one compulsory ritual. Under the Holidays Act, a paid day off depends on whether the date would otherwise be a working day for the employee. Someone required to work receives at least time-and-a-half and, when it is otherwise a working day, an alternative holiday. An open hospital, transport service, hospitality business or exempt shop therefore does not mean that employee rights disappear.