Maanawatia a Matariki · Te Atatū Marae
10 years welcoming
the Māori New Year
A decade of dawn karakia, kapahaka and shared kai. This year we mark it with you, and a cake to match the milestone.
Join Us to Welcome in
The Māori New Year, Dawn blessing & hautapu 2026
Te Atatū Marae Whānau Committee and Trust Board warmly invite you and your whānau to a special dawn ceremony as we celebrate Matariki with a traditional Hautapu.
In mid-winter, the cluster of Matariki rises in the eastern sky. Our people once observed this sacred time with a ceremony called “whāngai i te hautapu” — offering kai to the stars. Food is cooked in an earth oven and revealed with the rising of Matariki, sending steam to the heavens to feed the stars and begin the new year.
Ten years on, that same karakia opens our morning — now with a community that has grown around it.
The programme
Two mornings, one celebration
Everyone is welcome. Both events are free and held at the Te Atatū Peninsula Community Centre.
Cake cutting ceremony
To mark ten years of Matariki at Te Atatū, we’ll gather for a cake cutting and shared kai at both events.
He mihi · With gratitude
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou te Kotuku Kapahaka (Rutherford College)
A heartfelt acknowledgement to Kōtuku Kapahaka, the kapahaka rōpū of Rutherford College, who have returned year after year to support our Matariki celebration. Your manaaki and your voices have helped carry this kaupapa through its first ten years.
He mihi maioha ki a koutou.
Getting here
Te Atatū Peninsula
Community Centre
603 Te Atatū Road
Te Atatū Peninsula
Auckland 0610
Kindly Sponsored by
Ten years in pictures
From past Matariki gatherings
Moments from a decade of dawn ceremonies, kapahaka and shared mornings.
