Matariki/Maori New Year a time for reflection, new growth

Yesterday marked the start of Matariki-Maori New Year. Matariki is the name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. When it rises in the north-eastern skies in late May or early June, it signals to Maori that the New Year will begin. Matariki is strongly associated with planning or preparing the ground for the new year's crops. Jessica Hutchings is a kaupapa Maori research leader and a hua parakore, or Maori organic grower, on a small farm near Wellington. Dr Hutchings told rural reporter, Maja Burry, what Matariki means to her.