Once again, our special evening celebrating Matariki with many of our centre families and whanau was a great success.
It was a very inclusive occasion with many families providing vegetables for our ‘famous’ Matariki soup, lovingly prepared by Kirsten and Suz.
This year, we had star gazing outside with some telescopes, we had black playdough for the creative type, and we had star shaped cookies which were ready to be decorated with different icings and sprinkles. We also had cut out stars where anyone could write their aspirations for the year ahead and place them on the tree on the wall. Of course, no Matariki celebration of ours would be complete without the disco, where many busted out a move or two!
Matariki is a cluster of seven stars that marks the start of the Māori New Year, a time for families to gather, remember loved ones who have passed, and look forward to the year ahead. Matariki can been seen as a family of stars that shines in the winter sky. It’s appearance signals a time to celebrate with whanau, share stories, eat delicious soup, and think about hopes for the future.