Te Iwa o Matariki 2022 | The Nine Stars of Matariki 2022
Did you know that each of the nine stars of the Matariki star cluster have a link to an area of our environment and/or our wellbeing?
That makes Matariki | The Māori New Year the perfect time to choose nature!
KCC has come up with nine activities that you can do to honour the stars and make a difference in the face of climate change – whether that is using your eyes, hands, or voice.
We would love to share you doing these activities on our blog and social media during Matariki – so make sure to @kiwiconservationclub on FB or Instagram or email us your photos to kccinbox@forestandbird.org.nz.
Here’s more info on each activity:
Waitī
Waitī watches over our freshwater environments, and she’s noticed how important our wetlands are in the face of climate change.
Can you find out why? Matariki as a time to grow your knowledge.
Waitā
Waitā surveys our vast oceans, Te Moana-nui-o-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean) and Te Tai-o-Rehua (the Tasman Sea), and he’s noticed how plastic pollution is exhausting them, and affecting their ability to cope and deal with climate change.
This Matariki, look for ways to Reuse, Refuse, Rethink, and Reduce your use of plastic, and plan how you will stick to it!
Take on the challenge of being a Waste Warrior. Work through our downloadable work booklet to earn your certificate. This award scheme was created by three KCCers – cool huh! Here’s the link
Waipuna-ā-rangi
Waipuna-ā-rangi welcomes the winter sky waters in all their forms – ua (rain) ua nganga (hail) and hukarere (snow) included. She’s noticing that with climate change, some places in NZ are getting a lot more very wet days (where there is just too much water), and other places are getting a lot more very dry days (where there is just not enough water).
Start keeping track of rainfall where you live so you’re in the know about your situation.
Tupu-ā-nuku
Tupu-ā-nuku has a special interest in our edible plants. She’s noticed that a lot of our food waste, or scraps, go into landfill. In landfills, there’s no air and no natural way for the food to decompose and so it makes methane gas that heats up our world. Did you know that wasting food contributes to 11% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions? Woah!
Learn how to make better use of your food waste and try your hand at composting this Matariki.
Learn how to be a climate activist through composting with Kaitlyn Lamb (from Forest & Bird Youth)
Tupu-ā-rangi
Tupu-ā-rangi has long looked out for the ngahere (forests), and he is deeply concerned by the collapse he is witnessing. Our native wildlife – manu (birds and bats), mokomoko (lizards), and ngārara (bugs) – are being ravaged by introduced pests and predators. As are our ancient rākau (trees) – like tōtara, pūriri, pōhutukawa and rātā. Tupu-ā-rangi encourages us to take action to help to bring our forests back to life again by protecting our trees.
Do some pest/predator control and/or take care of young trees this Matariki.
> Here’s how to make and use chew cards to identify the pests/predators in your backyard
> Do some weedbusting by identifying weeds or joining in with a Weedbuster group in your community
> Check out Predator Free NZ’s guide on getting the right traps to use
> Here’s 8 tips for caring for young plants from the UK Tree Council
Ururangi
Ururangi is close friends with te whānau puhi (the wind family) – including Hauraro (the north wind), Tonga (the south wind), Hauāuru (the west wind), and Marangai (the east wind). He knows the power of the wind and is happy to see it being harnessed as a climate-friendly way to heat and light our homes.
Globally, the use of energy is by far the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities.
Discover how powerful the wind can be by making and testing out your own paper pinwheel/windmill. If you can use recycled paper even better!
Matariki
Matariki loves to gather the people together, and to connect them with our environment. She encourages us to do the same, as often as possible.
Let’s appreciate what we have got. Take your friends and family and go and have fun in nature!
Pōhutukawa
Pōhutukawa holds tight to our memories of treasured people, but also species of plant and animals who have gone, and treasured places which are lost. She encourages us to take time to remember them.
She also urges us to reflect/think carefully about who is still here, who is at risk, and how we can protect them.
Hiwa-i-te-rangi
Hiwai-i-te-rangi is a wishing star, who helps us to recognise our hopes, dreams and aspirations for the coming year. She encourages us to hold firm to our goals, and seek out opportunities to see them realised.
Climate change is the biggest problem we face, and we need more action now.
We can all #bethechange. Come up with your own design for a climate action sign to show your commitment, and to encourage others to get on board too.
Mānawatia a Matariki
