Maori New Year fireworks display at Bastion Point

Maori New Year fireworks display at Bastion Point

A fledgling Mâori consultancy company is to celebrate its arrival in Auckland by putting on a Matariki, or Mâori New Year, fireworks display for the public tonight.

Kingston Strategic, which is based in Parnell, has clients in New Zealand and Australia and specialises in strategic and project management.

The show will be put on by Hawkes Bay based Dream Works, a licensed fireworks display company, which has put on a number of spectacular displays – including Matariki celebrations and the Hawkes Bay blossom festival.

Towards the end of May or early June each year, the star cluster Matariki, or Pleiades as it was named by ancient astronomers, or Subaru as it is known to the Japanese - appears in our dawn skies.

Traditionally the appearance of Matariki signalled a time to harvest crops and to prepare for next years planting and to repair fishing nets.

The Mâori New Year begins with the first new moon after the first appearance of Matariki

The celebration of Matariki was nearly lost when such ceremonies were made illegal by the 1901 Tohunga Suppression Act, but in recent years Matariki has again been celebrated by many iwi and Maori groups

Kingston Strategic spokesperson Chris Wikaira says being a Mâori company Kingston Strategic celebrates Matariki with pride. “It is a celebration unique to New Zealand, and something that all New Zealanders can participate in.

“The company believes it is more relevant to New Zealand than Halloween or even Guy Fawkes, and would like to think one day that the wider public will think the same way,” he said.

The company is grateful to Ngati Whatua for allowing it the use of its land at Takaparawha (Bastion Point) to launch the display from.

The show is scheduled to begin, weather permitting, at eight o’clock.

Where: Takaparawha (Bastion Point) When: 8 pm – weather permiting

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