"It's really heartwarming to have this as a national holiday in NZ."
He sat down with The Project's Kanoa Lloyd.
"Today we take another meaningful step forward in understanding what makes us unique as a country and what holds us together as a nation."
Matariki is the time for us to declutter, re-organise and re-set.
Some Māori have already expressed concern that businesses were positioning themselves to market Matariki as a shopping event.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei was out in full force, honouring the past, present, and future through karanga, karakia, waiata, and haka.
The rising of Matariki signals the New Year in the Māori lunar calendar.
There is a 17,000-year-old cave painting in France that marks the star cluster.
"We are one people and one nation."
