Blessan Tom (RNZ)
Auckland, July 15, 2023
Members of the Indian community across the country have attended Matariki festivities as New Zealand celebrates the Māori New Year.
Different community groups held meetings in Auckland with kapa haka performances and waiata to mark the occasion. Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust members celebrated with music, dance, and by learning te reo.
“It was fabulous. We have always wanted to integrate with the people of the land. We celebrate the Māori New Year every year,” Trust Chairman Jeet Suchdev said.
Members of the Trust were treated with a kapa haka performance by Wairua Kaha led by Kathleen Williams. There was also a small exhibition of Māori artefacts and a session on the importance of Matariki and Māori culture.
Suchdev believes that Indian and Māori cultures had a lot of similarities.
“They give a lot of importance to family, they respect their elders and honour nature, and we do the same thing. We feel at home when we meet them, so much warmth,” he said.
He said that there was also a lot of interest within the community to learn te reo. Bhartiya Samaj had classes arranged in the past but had to suspend them in response to Covid-19.
Christchurch Event
In Christchurch, members of the community were eagerly waiting for the weekend to hold their Matariki festivities. The Christchurch Multicultural Council was arranging cultural performances, a shared dinner and a session about stars and their significance in other cultures to commemorate the Māori New Year.
“We have a kaumātua coming to the event to talk to us about Māori culture and the significance of Matariki. This is the first time that the Christchurch Multicultural Council is celebrating Matariki and the community is really excited about this weekend. They are looking forward to learning more about Māori culture,” he said.
Tandon drew similarities between Matariki and Hindu beliefs.
“Māori pay respect to their ancestors during Matariki and believe that the stars are the eyes of ancestors watching over them. Hindus have a similar belief too,” he said.
Tandon agreed with Suchdev, saying that it was important to connect with the indigenous people of New Zealand.
“Celebrating the Māori new year is part of embracing our multiculturalism.”
Fiji Indian Community
Auckland’s Fiji Indian community came together at the Te Matariki Clendon Community Centre and Library to mark Matariki.
Shivarchan Seniors group member Lachmi Naidu said that the event started with a karanga and then we sang waiata.
“We also had a display of ancient Māori artefacts. It was marvellous,” he said.
Naidu highlighted the importance of Matariki.
“We are living here, and we should know about their culture. There is so much to learn and understand,” he said.
A national survey of 1000 people by Kantar Public for Te Papa Museum in Wellington last year showed that Asian New Zealanders celebrated Matariki “significantly higher than average” compared to Kiwis.
It showed that 50% of all Kiwis took some action to mark the Māori new year but 59% of Asian New Zealanders celebrated the occasion.
“When Te Papa started celebrating Matariki 25 years ago, we were an outlier,” Te Papa’s Māori co-leader Arapata Hakiwai said.
“Now we see how Matariki is being embraced by New Zealanders across the board. It is a mark of how far we have come as a nation. Our research shows Matariki is becoming a truly national phenomenon,” he said.
Blessan Tom is a Journalist at Radio New Zealand. The above Report and pictures have been published under a special agreement with www.rnz.co.nz
