Friday will be Aotearoa's first Matariki public holiday to mark the start of the Māori new year.
It occurs when the Matariki star cluster - otherwise known as Pleiades - rises in mid winter, and is the most significant celebration in the traditional Māori calendar,
Manatū Taonga - Ministry for Culture and Heritage senior historian, or Pou Hītori Māori Matua, Matariki Williams spoke to Susie Ferguson.
