New Matariki tohu a 'metaphor as a nation coming together', says designer
Tuesday, 3 May 2022
A new tohu (logo) for Matariki was revealed, on Tuesday with its designer and government ministers saying it will centre mātauranga Māori in Matariki celebrations for generations to come.
Te Tohu o Matariki, designed by Tyrone Ohia (Ngāti Pukenga, Ngāi te Rangi), has nine tukutuku crosshatches in different colours interwoven on a black background. They represent the nine visible stars that make up the Matariki star cluster and the different characteristics they embody.
Matariki will be celebrated as a public holiday for the first time on Friday June 24, after it was made official in April.
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A slogan, “Mānawatia a Matariki” (or “celebrate Matariki”), was also revealed at the same time.
Ohia said the tohu was designed to look like stars from a distance.
“From a Māori point of view as a whānau, they cross in and out of each other and hold each other together,” he said. “Similarly, we’re hoping that it’s a metaphor for us as a nation coming together under Māori kaupapa to celebrate in a distinctively Aotearoa way that’s inclusive of all of us.”
He also hoped people could learn more Matariki stories through the tohu’s use of colours and forms.
Professor Rangi Matamua, who oversaw the tohu’s development, said it would not replace other symbols or emblems of Matariki, but as a way for people to connect when celebrating it as its first public holiday.
“This logo represents something that can embed and reaffirm our national identity,” he said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she expected people would make Matariki their own by forming traditions with their whānau over time.
Māori-Crown Relations – Te Arawhiti Minister Kelvin Davis said the tohu laid the foundations of what Matariki would look for future generations and was a step forward for New Zealanders to reconcile with the past and head into the future.
“This is something that our children will be learning and they will be understanding more and more just about what it is to be from Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Associate Arts and Culture Minister Kiri Allan said the tohu was a recognition of tikanga Māori and Matariki was an opportunity for all to stop and reflect.
“This is an exciting milestone for Aotearoa New Zealand and contributing to a legacy for our mokopuna and future generations,” she said.
The new holiday will be launched on June 24 at Te Papa with a national Te Hautapu o Matariki, a food offering ceremony marking the rise of Matariki.
Davis said Te Arawhiti had a fund to support Matariki events around the country.