New Zealand will soon officially commemorate Matariki for the first time after legislation to create the annual public holiday passed its third reading in Parliament on Thursday.
Matariki will be celebrated on June 24 this year to acknowledge the rise of the Matariki star cluster and mark the Māori New Year. The holiday will always fall on a Friday but will shift slightly each year to align with the maramataka (Māori stellar-lunar calendar).
"This is a historic moment for all of us," Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan said in a statement. "It will be the first national holiday to specifically recognise and celebrate mātauranga Māori."
Traditional Matariki celebrations are to remember those who have passed on, celebrate the present and look to the future in the new year.
"Matariki is a time of unity, renewal, celebration and hope. With the challenges we have all faced in recent times, it allows us to come together with whānau and friends to pause, reflect and look optimistically to the future," Allan said.
Allan said plans were underway for a range of nationwide events to celebrate the holiday across the country and iwi will play a key role in helping New Zealanders learn about Matariki in a way that suits each region and community.
"Having this holiday will help us come together to embrace our evolving national identity and celebrate our distinct culture," Allan said.
It comes after the Opposition National and ACT parties said they would support Matariki as a public holiday if another one was removed in its place.
"Adding another public holiday at a time when small businesses are already doing it tough, with increased costs for extended sick leave and the minimum wage, will have an impact on them," National MP Simon O'Connor said in a statement to Newshub.
ACT would scrap Matariki completely if another public holiday was not dropped in its place, party Small Business spokesperson Chris Baillie said.
"Unlike National and ACT the Government believes New Zealanders deserve a new public holiday but not at the expense of another such as Labour Day," Allan said. "Matariki is not about replacing an existing public holiday. Rather it provides us with a unique, new opportunity to embrace our distinctive national identity and helps to establish our place as a modern Pacific nation."
The Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Bill was expected to become law soon.
