Matariki in Tāmaki Makaurau
![Matariki](https://www.thesymphonycentre.co.nz/symphonycentre-prod/images/_large/104757/matariki.webp)
What’s on this month: Matariki in Tāmaki Makaurau
A cultural symphony of storytelling, reflection and celebration, here’s our top five events in (and around) Aotea Arts Quarter that honour Matariki 2024.
1. Matariki Live on Screen
14 - 29 June 2024 | Auckland Live Digital Stage
The Auckland Live Digital Stage presents a curated line-up of digital experiences from the world of Te Ao Māori.
As its name suggests, Matariki Explained provides a beginner's guide to understanding what this new national holiday is all about while providing new information for those who do have some knowledge. With thanks to funders, Te Māngai Pāho and NZonAir, Matariki Explained features renowned Māori astrologer and holder of ancestral knowledge, Rereata Makiha. Who shares his knowledge of living by the Māori calendar (Maramataka).
Free to attend, find out more here.
2. Matariki with Ché-Fu & The Kratez
27 June 2024 | Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall
Celebrate Matariki with the Auckland Philharmonia and one of Aotearoa’s coolest and best-known hip hop, R&B and reggae artists.
Considered a pioneer of hip hop and Pasifika music in Aotearoa, Ché-Fu is one of New Zealand’s most successful and beloved recording artists, with more top ten songs than any individual in the country’s music history.
Don’t miss the chance to hear Ché-Fu & The Kratez perform Kiwi classics ‘Fade Away’, ‘Misty Frequencies’, ‘Hold Tight’ and many others, reimagined with full symphonic styling and the power of a 70-piece orchestra.
3. He Wai - Matariki ki te Manawa 2024
June 15,16, 20 & 21 evenings Queen Street between Victoria St and the Civic Theatre
In celebration and remembrance of the iconic and culturally significant Te Waihorotiu stream that used to flow in and around Queen Street, this is a newly created pop-up music series called He Wai. For four special evenings, June 15,16, 20 & 21, contemporary Māori artists will thrill midtown audiences with live music and waiata on Queen Street & Elliott Street.
Allana Goldsmith (Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tai) and others are expected to pause the city centre’s hustle and bustle for a moment of celebration as part of Matariki ki te Manawa.
Free to attend, find out more here.
4. Our People, Our Stories
16 June 2024 | Wintergarden, The Civic
Whiria te tangata, whiria ngā toi, whiria ngā hapori.
Weave the people, weave the arts, weave the community.
Join us for a day of wānanga/seminars around how artists represent their communities through live performance. Hear how Māori performing arts has shaped communities, weaved relationships, provide opportunities for healing, knowledge sharing, laughter and innovation, with kōrero from some of Aotearoa’s leading Māori live performance creatives.
Free to attend but limited registration - register to attend here.
5. Matariki in Aotea Square
Friday 28 June 2024 | Aotea Square
Head down to Aotea Square on Friday 28 June and celebrate Matariki with your whānau by acknowledging those you want to send well wishes to with an art installation created by Wellington artists Claire O’Loughlin and Marcus McShane. Mihi is a large-scale interactive video installation that invites us to pause, remember, and celebrate each other this Matariki.
Mihi allows you to thank those who are important to you by adding their name to a huge, animated scroll projected onto Auckland Town Hall, rising endlessly up into the sky.
Free to attend, find out more here.