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Matariki, a great time for giving
Matariki, a great time for
giving
Matariki, also known as the Māori New
Year, begins 28 June this year. Matariki is the Māori name
for the cluster of stars known as the Pleiades, and
traditionally it signals the beginning of the Māori New
Year, when the cluster of stars appear in the pre-dawn sky
looking north-east in late May/early June.
This
year’s National Volunteer Week was inspired by the
following whakataukī: "Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora
ai te tangata," translated by Volunteering New Zealand as
"With your contribution and my contribution the people will
live."
Vanisa Dhiru, Chief Executive of VNZ says,
“It Is important that communities get involved and spend a
bit of time incorporating Te Reo Māori into our everyday
lives.
Mana Tiaki, a community based whanau group in
Tawa, Wellington, provides a support network for local
Māori families. The Mana Tiaki whānau consists of
families from Tawa, Titahi Bay, Porirua, and the Kapiti
Coast whom volunteer their time to the organisation. The
parents and extended whānau of these families make up the
committees, band of volunteers and fundraisers. They
provide tutors to teach kapahaka, raise the profile of
Tikanga Māori in schools and by assisting schools with
implementation of Māori perspective across the
curriculum.
“Aotearoa is made up of countless groups
and communities, which come together to form the basis of
our nation as a whole – Mana Tiaki is just one of many of
these groups. Volunteering in your communities strengthens
connections, culture and any celebration – and directly
contributes to the positive environment that we want for our
communities.”
The idea of volunteering for Māori is
based significantly on the concept of whanaungatanga
(kinship) and the benefits, both for individuals and the
wider community, derived from contributing to the common
good. The term “mahi aroha” means work performed out of
love, sympathy, or caring through sense of duty. For many
Māori, mahi aroha carried out for the benefit of whanau,
hapū and iwi is often seen as fulfilling their cultural
obligations to the wider collective.
“Matariki is a
time to pause for reflection, to learn from the past and to
plan for the future – and it is a great time to think
about giving back to your whanau, community and nation,”
say Vanisa.
Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) is an
association of New Zealand organisations that have a
commitment to volunteering, such as volunteer centres,
national and other organisations. Their mission is to
promote, support and advocate for volunteering. www.volunteeringnz.org.nz
[ends]
Volunteering New Zealand
Leaders of Volunteering
Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) is an association of New Zealand organisations that have a commitment to volunteering, such as volunteer centres, national and other organisations.
Volunteering New Zealand's mission is to promote, support and advocate for volunteering.
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