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Hongi to Hangi: Matariki Special

ChannelTVNZ 1
Date Broadcast Friday 14 July 2023
Start Time19 : 00
Finish Time20 : 00
Duration60:00

Hongi to Hangi returns to answer all the questions you had about te ao Maori but were too afraid to ask, with a special episode celebrating our newest public holiday: Matariki.

Tāmati Rimene-Sproat provides the answers to everything you didn’t know about te ao Māori, when you might have been too afraid to ask.

Full record
Captions

It's me, Tamati Rimene-Sproat. We did that thing at the marae last... All good. Don't worry about it. You might be asking yourself, 'Tamati, why are you walking around in the dark?' Well, this time round e te whanau, we're gonna be talking about the stars. The best time to see the stars is at night. Heoi ano, Matariki - what do you know about it? Me? Bugger all. But luckily for you, I know some clever people who know all about it. And I'm going to introduce you to them - show us how we can all celebrate Matariki. Come on, then. (TORCH CLINKS) Oh, it's broken. (BUTTON CLICKS) Come on, ea. Hurry up. (UPBEAT BRASS MUSIC) Captions by Jessie Puru and Sam Baker. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023 (MAGICAL TINKLY MUSIC) When I look up, I see the sky in all its majesty. It's where we come from. Well, I come from Masterton, but that's beside the point. At this time of year, a cluster of stars very important to Maori appear in the east at dawn. It's called Matariki. But what is Matariki? Now, when I say Matariki, what do you think? - It's the Maori New Year, of course, yeah. But I'm gonna be completely pragmatic about this. It's... (CHUCKLES) It's a new public holiday. Who doesn't like a public holiday? - Somewhere in the middle of the year. And it's something to do with the stars. - Every day's Matariki for us and our people because we always resonate to the stars. That's why I've become one, my dear. - (LAUGHS) - It's not just Maori culture; it's a New Zealand-wide culture. And if we can celebrate that in lots of different ways, then that's cool... using parts of it, cos Maori culture is not just for Maori; it's for everybody. - Come with me on a journey through space and time to find Matariki. Oh no, wait. There it is. Matariki signals the Maori new year, and it appears as a cluster of nine stars. But as Maori, we like to put things in a whanau context. So there's a mum. Her name is also Matariki, and she has eight children. Let me introduce you to Professor Rangi Matamua. He's not just the reigning New Zealander of the Year; he's an expert in all things... - (CLEARS THROAT) - ...Matariki. - Manawa mai e te putanga o Matariki. Manawa mai e te Ariki or te rangi. Manawa mai e te matahi to te tau. - What is Matariki? - So Matariki pretty much is a cluster of stars, known around the world as Pleiades, right across Polynesia and other parts of the world actually. But across Polynesia, its appearance would mark the beginning of our New Year celebrations. So while it is a group of stars, it's also a celebration, a time to come together. Each of those stars is connected to a part of our culture or a part of our environment. And we use it; we watch it rise. We celebrate that element. It really launches our whole year and celebrations. - To tell you the truth, I don't know much about Matariki. I think my kids know more about Matariki than I do. I never even knew there were nine stars. I thought there were seven. - Our babies are learning about Matariki day in and day out at kura, and my son was very proud to sit and go through the different whetu and their characteristics and what they pertain to, and I was really happy to be learning from him. - The magic of Matariki is that it's grounded here, so it works with our seasons. It works with our environment, and most of the time, the things that we're celebrating are from elsewhere. - To me, Matariki's a way forward. It's always been a way forward for us. And to me, Matariki is the way forward for us as a nation. - It's a time to reflect, really, to reset, to just pause, think about the year that was, all of our loved ones that have passed and what's about to come to fruition. - Can you name the stars? - No, I can only name... Oh gosh, I saw that on TikTok too. - Waiti, Waita, Waipuna-a-rangi, Tupuanuku, Tupuarangi, Ururangi, Hiwa-i-te-rangi, Pohutukawa, Matariki, baby. Whoo-hoo! (INTREPID MUSIC) - So let's get to know the nine stars of Matariki so you can be as smart as Turia. First up, introducing Waita. Waita is associated with salt water. To explain more - the bro-fessor. What does Waita represent? - Salt water, including your tears when you watch the Warriors. - Very true. I associate salt water with the sea and with kaimoana. - Salt water, seafood, all of that stuff. Because Waita really talks about all the ocean and all of the sea. If it's big and bright, you're gonna get good kai that year. - Ka pai. I can tell you're more of a Pak'nSave diver than a real diver. Be bit of a struggle to get that in a wetsuit. Now let's meet our resident experts on all things Maori - Chris Winitana and Te Haumihiata Mason. - You had to have a connection to the environment. I mean, I'm talking about when I was young, you had to eat. But if you had a good day fishing, then you shared it. But there are good times to plant and fish, not-so-good times to plant and fish, and times where - just don't bother going out there. - Waita - the ocean - that is singularly and solely about the power of flow. On my body, that flow translates to... movement. The salt on my body comes only out as sweat. Or tears. What does that mean? I move in the way of a human to survive, to live, to thrive. - Well, I thrive at my best when I'm fishing, so that's what I'm off to do. It's our first stop on a journey to collect kai associated with some of the different stars of Matariki from around the motu. And with that bounty, prepare a hakari - a feast in celebration of Matariki. Waita - quite possibly my favourite star. Because all the best kai comes from the sea. But it's not all about kai, and that's what we're here in Te Pewhairangi to find out. What are we up to? - I te ra nei, haere ana matou ki te moana - taha o Tangaroa, tirohia ki nga kina. - Lovely. - Tera pea ka haere ki te pupuhi tetahi haku. - Beautiful. - So, yeah. - Deadly, bro. I can't wait. - Tera pea e tukuna nga karakia ki a Tangaroa i te tuatahi. Eh? - Ka pai. Tika na. - Whakatau ha, whakatau ko Rangi runga nei. Whakatau ha, whakatau ko Papa i raro nei. - In a Maori world view, te ao wairua, or the spirit world, lives alongside everything we do. So everything we do has to start with a karakia - a type of incantation - in this case asking Tangaroa, god of the sea, don't drown us, please? - ALL: Taiki e. - Ata marie tatou. - Karakia is a way in which we communicate with atua, with heaven- with the greater powers, with the heavenly beings, in order to give us guidance, comfort, manaaki, and to help us get through trials and tribulations. Sometimes, we can rely on karakia, or prayer. - My bro, where we off to? - We're gonna head out to Motu Kokako. Us as whanau and hapu and iwi that tatai to the moana, it's one of our main places we go for spearfishing haku. And then we're also gonna do a little bit of kina diving and a bit of monitoring on our kina stocks within the Bay of Islands. - We're doing some monitoring here. So what does that actually entail? - So what that entails - there'll be what they call a transect will go out. So it's a 50m length. And within that transect we'll be doing what they call quadrats, and we put it on the floor every 5m and then we analyse whatever's inside that quadrant. So that kind of gives us a little bit of knowledge about what's happening with the kina within the area. So, transects, quadrants - kupu o te ra. (LAUGHS) - Love it, bro. I'm learning every day. Part of this, bro, is very scientific. You guys are going out there with these taputapu and actually counting how many kina and stuff are in the water. But how does that kind of incorporate matauranga Maori? - Having us involved. In the past, it's been other research institutes that have come out and done this sort of mahi. And our rangatahi and our peoples have been kind of not part of the equation, you know? We're able to bring our rangatahi, our kaitiaki in development into spaces like this to... whakaki te ratou kete o te matauranga. - Yeah. Yeah. Oh, well, bro, the reason I came up here was to talk about Waita and some of the kai Waita provides. We've done the kina monitoring; time to have some fun now. - Yeah, let's get amongst it. (ENERGETIC ELECTRONIC MUSIC) - Well, I've got some Waita kai. I've got my ika, and I've got my kina. My bro, next time, I promise I'll bring my own gun, shoot more than one fish and get more than three kinas. Ka pai, my bro. My man. - Ka pai. Tena koe. - Hey, give the people what they want. Made a promise - I kept it. Doitz! After the break, I take our kaimoana to a couple of celebrity chefs who are going to cook us a mean feed for our hakari. And I'll introduce you to another star of Matariki. - Before the break, e te whanau, we had a big day on the water. Time to take my Waita bounty to another cluster of stars - Maketu's very own celebrity chefs Karena and Kasey Bird. Whoo-hoo! - BOTH: Wow. - Don't act like you're not impressed. - I'm very impressed. - Well, I wasn't lying when I told Rangi that I was very Aquaman-like. Would you agree? - Yes. Jason Momoa who? - More like Jason Momona. But anyway... - (LAUGHS) - ...what we've got here is obviously some green-lipped mussels. We've got some already-filleted fish and already-cooked crayfish. Done half your job. We've got oysters and the old delicacy, the kinuks. - Yeah. Nice. - Anyway, quick fact, e te whanau, if you didn't already put two and two together, Waita - salt water, food from the sea. Your nan's got one; this fulla in a big field's got one. Hika, even hobbits have one - gardens. Maori were well known for their amazing gardens, especially kumara gardens. Yum. Our next star is Tupuanuku. Tupuanuku is the star that is connected to kai and rongoa grown within the soil or harvested from the ground. E hoa, how do you think we should celebrate Tupuanuku? - Well, Tupuanuku is about everything that grows- like, grows out of the ground and everything that's really important to us that grows out of the ground, unlike your moustache. So I would celebrate Tupuanuku by going to a garden. - Tupuanuku is about your ability to grow. What's the grow? Everything. I mean it. Everything. Are you a me, myself, I? Are you able to grow into a me, myself, us? - I don't know how to grow anything. But Hana-Rawhiti Maipi sure does. She runs a mara for her hapu. E hoa, patai tuatahi - what actually is a mara? - A mara is basically just food grown in the ground that we can eat. - So a garden? - Ae. - How does this relate to Tupuanuku? - So Tupuanuku and the different stars within the Matariki cluster play a big part in the way that we plant, harvest, and look after our food here. - And I guess this is the living embodiment of Tupuanuku, right? - Ae. - All the kai here's edible. - It's, like, a Maori Countdown. - There's a huge amount of satisfaction that comes from the fact that you grew it yourself. You know. The other thing is, of course it's... Organic wasn't a thing in those days, but it was 100% organic. Everything we ate was 100% organic. - Not finding a lot of kumara in here, sis. - (CHUCKLES) Yeah, you're two weeks late. We've already had our kumara harvest. - All right. You could have told me that about five minutes ago. But, sis, what does this mara got to do with Matariki? - So we try and implement as many kai that can contribute to our hautapu of Matariki. And every year, we're adding something different, like kumara, riwai, kamokamo. - Beautiful. And you get the whole hapori involved too, eh? - Yeah. So we try and get our whanau, but specifically our whanau from Ngati Whawhakia in Waikato because this here is the original penupenu, or seedlings, from our tupuna wahine, Whakaotirangi, handed down to Ngati Whawhakia, or Whawhakia to us. - Wow. Can I have a look? So this is what the kumara looks like, eh? - Ae. - We look at our awa, if we look at our whenua, if we look at our maunga as our relatives, as our ancestors, as those that give us life, just imagine how much greener our world would be if we looked after them like we would look after our mothers and our grandmothers, those that nourish us, those that feed us. - Got something special here. - Ooh. - Yep. Tupuanuku - kumara. You know, they say it's not about the size; it's about how sweet it is. - But kumara don't talk about that kind of stuff, though. - No. No, apparently- apparently not. Well, I'll leave that with you. - Not that we had any doubts, but... just got a few extras there just in case. - What the heck is this? 'Ahakoa, he iti,' and all that, eh? Anyways... - How many stars in the cluster? - Uh, so... we're in the- we're in the double digits. - WHISPERS: Just come down one. - One. - No, no, no. - One. What? - Come down one from the double digits. - Oh, OK. Nine? - Nine. Yeah. - We're in nine. - Oh, my gosh. Like, seven. - WHISPERS: Plus two. Plus two. - Uh, nine? - Yeah. See, we can edit that, and it'll be your first answer. And how many stars in the Matariki cluster? - Nine? - Yeah. Our next star is Tupuarangi. Tupuarangi has influence over the domains of Tane, the god of the forest, Haumia-tiketike, the god of uncultivated foods and insects, and Tu-te-wehiwehi, the father of reptiles, fern roots, (VOICE FADES) nikau, harakeke, ponga... Rangi, what does Tupuarangi actually represent? - So tupu means to grow. Rangi is either in the sky or very handsome, but it means stuff that grows above our heads - trees, birds, berries, all of those things we celebrate as part of Tupuarangi. - Mm. I'm an urban Maori. I can't go out there and eat our native birds. No one should, by the way. So how do we celebrate Tupuarangi in these days? - Well, you can plant trees and celebrate our forests and help, you know, with growing more native trees would be really good. We can do things like listen to the different bird calls and actually learn what calls belong to what birds. Well, you could just go ahead and get us a bucket of chicken. That'll be really good. - (SNIFFS) We're in central Hamilton. I can smell it too, eh. - We pretty much lived at one with nature. You knew what was ready when, what bird was fat. We also knew when to go and pick the native fuchsia, kotukutuku - the berry. So we used to harvest that as well. - Tupuanuku is about... your turangawaewae, I guess you would say. Your growth ability. Land-bound connected. Then Tupuarangi, as the word says, is about sky connection and what the hang is that, right? It's about the spread of your aroha. You have to spread it like a tree does. It's as simple as that. - Well, to honour Tupuarangi in our Matariki spread, I called in a favour from one of the uncles on Stewart Island to get what some call a delicacy - titi to add to our rourou. But I'm telling you now, it's not for everyone. (GENTLE FOLK MUSIC) (GRUNTS) Tupuarangi. There you go. - Thanks. Got our titi. - Coming up, we head to the river, and I get a romiromi as I introduce you to two more stars. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) - From the mountains to the sea. Fresh water - we can't live without it. Freshwater is in the realm of our next star - Waiti. To explain more, here's our mate and Matariki expert, Rangi. Waiti - what does she represent? - Waiti's fresh water. Rivers, streams, lakes, even wetlands and everything that's in the domain of Waiti. - Bath water? - I suppose so. - Even after you've been in the bath? - No, definitely, for you, that's more swamp water when it's finished. - Wai paruparu. How can people celebrate Waiti? - There's lots of ways you can celebrate Waiti. You could do things like make sure that- you know, if you're a farmer, just fence off some of those waterways, you know, so the cattle are not going in there. You can preserve water. We waste a lot of fresh water. Just be aware of, you know, what's happening in our lakes and rivers. - Well, it's life. No fresh water, no life. And that's not just humans; that's everything. You just can't have life without water. - Waiti - our star associated with fresh water. You might be asking yourself, 'Tamati, why are you taking me 'to a tree nursery to talk about fresh water?' E te whanau, it's all connected. A man's holding a hose. He probably knows more than me. Kia ora, my bro. - Morena, my bro. - We're surrounded by plants. But what's that got to do with fresh water? - The main one is to stop our riverbanks from corroding. And another one is to also filter all those toxins before they enter our waterways and head out to our awa. - Now is the time for preparing and planting native trees. I'm actually obsessed with native trees. They belong here. This is their home. - I can see you already started planting here. - Yeah, so last year, we started planting around winter. The plants are actually not just holding the bank there. They're actually stopping the silt from crossing through into the waterways, which will automatically end up out in the awa covering our pipi beds. - Bro, this mahi does a lot for the whenua and the awa. What does it do for you? - On the wairua side, my bro - amazing, enriching. On the physical side of things, for my tinana - yeah, it's awesome. Keeping me healthy that way. And also I get to go home happy, which is good for my whanau and my children. - Beautiful. - Yeah. - Te taha wairua - Maori spirituality - in some way, shape or form has a lot to do with our environment. When we think about our atua, they are all embodiments of our environment, of our natural resources. And if you're familiar with the nine stars and what they're associated with, they're all associated with the natural environment. - If you're not down with Matariki, then you're not down with the environment. And if you're not down with the environment, you need to find another world to live in, because we need to protect the environment, look after the environment, and if we understand Matariki, we get more understanding about how we could look after our environment. - Hika, you got some ge-wahs. - (CHUCKLES) - What's all of this stuff, bro? - This thing here shows that the water breathes. And it measures the water quality. So at the moment, we're trying to find out what's happening, and over time, if there's any changes, then that'll measure how successful we are. - What's the ultimate goal, my bro? - We, for a very, very long time had tuna, pipi and those types of things in our puku. So if we can increase the availability of a high-quality free food in our backyard then that will help on the way to being healthier, strong humans. - They say that when that star's really big, bright in the Matariki period when it rises in the morning, you're gonna have lots of eels, lots of freshwater fish, lots of lots of whitebait. You like whitebait fritters? - Nah. I do like eels, though, and I kind of tuned out when you said eels. I'm off to get some. Ka pai? - OK. All good, brother. - We'll catch up. Anei, e hoa. - Ooh. - A tuna. Waiti. - Thank you. You're doing a really great job. - Thank you. How are you gonna celebrate Matariki this year? - (EXHALES SLOWLY) Probably the same way I celebrate it every year, which is to stay home and get completely rat-faced. - (CHUCKLES) - It's school holidays, eh. Sorry, it's brutal. Yeah. - And it's a public holiday. - It's a public holiday. It's amazing that it is, And that the New Zealander of the Year was... What's his name? - WHISPERS: Rangi Matamua. - Oh, Rangi Mata- Rangi Matamua. Sorry, I'm about to go in Samoan. Matamua, Matamua. - Get together with some people, some whanaus and friends and stuff and hopefully, yeah, actually consider what it means to have the Maori New Year and celebrate it, you know? - Beautiful, man. I told you you were gonna make the cut. The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. And the question is, what does that have to do with our next star? Ururangi - the star that connects us to the winds, including the air that we breathe. Pretty important stuff e te whanau. Let's hear from the New Zealander of the Year. - Ururangi is connected to the various winds that we get throughout the year, and, you know, it's about celebrating our weather. Wind is really important. Wind caresses the land. Miri te whenua, miri te kiri. It caresses your skin. - There you go, cos I'm off for a romiromi. Has that got any connection to Ururangi? - Well... - Hau, or, you know, hauora. - It depends what type of mirimiri you're going to get, but, you know, I think I'll just leave that there. - This thing that is me is controlled by- at a very simple level. This - you watch this. (INHALES SHARPLY) STRAINS: 'Just to make the point. 'I'm gonna die... in front of you.' Now I've taken a breath. (INHALES) That's how real Ururangi is. That's the impact of Ururangi the star on this construction. Stop breathing. That air, that wind that it's talking about is cosmic, universal, galactic, stellar, solar, planetary, And it's the thing that motivates this body - my breath. - I'm off to meet Manu and Whaea Awhitia who use traditional wind instruments as part of the healing practice known as romiromi, or in French... massage. (CLEARS THROAT) Whaea- I think we're on the wrong street, actually. I've heard a few things and don't mind admitting I'm a bit freaked out. - What I'm gonna do is just tune into you, and this will help me to see what it is that you've come for first and foremost and especially a-wairua. The pulse here - it's telling me exactly... um... (GROANS UNCERTAINLY) - Is it good or bad? - No, no. I'm just- It's like I've gone into another space and another realm, if you like. Ooh. (PUTATARA ECHOES) KARANGA: E hi ra waru e... - Taonga puoro to me represent our taiao. And a really healing practice for me personally is to be in our taiao. I come from a place where oro are very much about our taiao. It's about wild winds. - Whaea, what was the purpose of the putatara and takutaku to begin with? - The body hears the vibration, and so that in itself relaxes the body. - It definitely takes you to a place mentally, eh, and spiritually. - Yeah. - Not to mention physically. My fears have been realised. (HEAVY METAL MUSIC) - Whaea Awhitia - she can bend you in ways you have never been bent before. I've seen her make grown men cry. You know, tenei wahine, you know, she's... good and nice and then next minute, your legs are behind your head. She's got a toka in this hand, got a rakau in this hand, and she knows how to use them. - I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but there's definitely a feeling of peace now that we're done. We're exploring Matariki and the whetu Ururangi... which represents the winds. How do you think that relates to rongoa Maori? - Ururangi and her hau is all about peaceful relationships. Everyone should be able to have hohou rongo, to be at peace with one another, especially with the taiao. - Mm. Honestly, I could probably run a marathon, but I'd wanna go to sleep first. (ALL LAUGH) I'm so relaxed. Coming up - this brand new man delves into the realm of rain and sky with Waipuna-a-rangi. - Hoki mai ano. Our next star is Waipuna-a-rangi, which means water that pools in the sky. This is just like the hydrological cycle where water vapour is held in the atmosphere and then comes back to Earth's surface as precipitation, more commonly known as rain. E hoa, Waipuna-a-rangi. The giver of rain. How important is it that we acknowledge this star? - So important because, no rain, no water; no water, no nothing. So it's a really important part of acknowledging our environment. - And how can we as Aotearoa New Zealand commemorate Waipuna-a-rangi. - Well, there's lots of ways. It's like any way with weather. You could do something that was- be helpful at home, I guess, and actually, like, hang out the washing when it's, like, not raining. That'd be a good way, but maybe collecting rainwater off the roof to water the gardens and stuff like that. Just being aware of how important rain is. - Right, OK. Washing. Washing. That actually reminds me - I did leave it out. - There's plenty of, you know, different rains, different names, lovely Maori names. And I think a lot of them are onomatopoeic, which I really like about, so that's a language thing that I love. So you've got ua konehu, which is a misty rain, and it sounds a bit like that. Then you've got ua tata, which is sort of pelting down rain, you know, reverberates on your roof, and that's what the word sounds like. - Ooh. - Waipuna-a-rangi. A bit of rainwater if you get thirsty. - Cheers. - Ka pai. (HAUNTING PUTORINO MUSIC PLAYS) - The most precious of all the stars is Pohutukawa. This is the star that calls for our dearly departed. Renowned taonga puoro artist Horomona Horo starts off with a tribute for all of us who fondly remember our loved ones. - Takataka roimata ki a ratou, kua mene i te po. Nei ra te reo karanga, nei ra nga roimata e takataka tonu i runga i te mata o te whenua. Kia koutou ko wehe atu i te tau ko te ha tenei. Nei ra matou te takahi tangata, nga mokopuna o koutou ma nga tupuna ko wheturangitia. Nei ra matou e mihi kau atu ana ki a koutou. Kei te tangi, kei te tangi, e kore nei e warewaretia. - Rangi. Pohutukawa - a very important star in the cluster. Why is that? - Pohutukawa is the star where we send our dead. So we believe that when someone passes, they get taken up by the big canoe which Matariki is part of, and they stay with Pohutukawa for the year, and when they rise in the new year, when that star's up, we farewell our dead and their spirits become stars in the sky forever. - Heoi ano, how can we remember those who have passed in the year? - So we gather together. We talk about them. We say, you know, 'Remember the good times? Remember those memories?' And when Pohutukawa rises, we call out their names. And as the sun rises, we know that their spirit goes on that journey to become a star in the night sky. - I feel quite emotional... right now. Can we... hug it out? Beautiful. Thank you, bro. - Thank you. - We're obsessed with the dead. We're absolutely obsessed with the dead. Maori are. Tangi comes before everything. Yeah, I quite like that. I quite like it. - Name the people, the humans, who have passed on. Let Sky hear, for we're his bloom. Stand upon the earth of our mother. Let her feel it through her feet. Because we return to- None of this is new. It's just beautifully simple. We name our dead so their names are spoken before the altar of Sky and Earth. - Kia ora e te whanau. Welcome to Te Rerenga Wairua. Never heard of it. That's OK. I told you, I got you. I'll talk to smart people who know more than me and you. Come on. Meet these fullas. Kia ora. - Kia ora. - Te Rerenga Wairua at the tip of the North Island is the final departing place for the dead. Now, this is a very special place to who we are is Maori. Can you talk to us about where we are actually at? - We're at Te Paerau where all the ridges are all coming together. So Te Paerau is a gathering of multitudes, and this is the beginning for us as the living. This is where we're gonna cross over the threshold into the space of wairua. - When we talk about Te Ara Wairua - what is that? - Te Ara Wairua is like a pathway for the wairua to travel. For Ngati Kuri, it's a big part of our identity. So we have a big obligation in this rohe. - We are also the kaitiaki of Te Rerenga Wairua, Ngati Kuri, so kind of control the gate. - (CHUCKLES) - Whether it be spiritual or physical. - Our cousin Lance wants us to charge departure tax. - (LAUGHS) - I myself haven't been to Rerenga Wairua, so... I also don't actually think much about what happens after you die. I think a lot about my tangi and how I want my tangi to be run, you know? - When we acknowledge Pohutukawa, and we acknowledge our loved ones, it enables us to move forward, and I think that's why it is so important for us to have that moment and to have that time and to grieve together and to celebrate their life and their achievements and what they did. - That is a star that we can all relate to, whether you're black, white, pink, yellow, we all have lost someone we love. And so at that point, we can call on what that star means for us to remember, to look to the past, reflect and move forward to the future as well. But it's important that we do so, keeping in mind of those who we've lost so that we can take them with us and our whakaaro into the future, and not ever forgetting them. - Pohutukawa, Te Rerenga Wairua - really the same thing. It's about the spirits of our loved ones departing to somewhere beautiful, either the stars or Hawaiki nui, Hawaiki roa, Hawaiki pamamao. And that's what it's all about - remembering our loved ones. How do you, I guess, commemorate the ones that you've lost, the loved ones you've lost in the year? - Hmm. I guess my grandma passed away last year recently, and it was in July, and every- this year in July, we're just gonna have a dinner probably and just celebrate her life. - Beautiful man. I mean, that's what it's all about, really, eh? - I just try and think of, like, my late dad and go, 'He's in a better place, and he's looking after my kids.' So... that's the important thing. - Coming up, I make a wish for a mean feed, and would you believe it? It comes true. - Before the break, we remembered all our loved ones that we miss so much. But I can hear you asking, 'Tamati, is there a star that looks to the future?' Well, as Walt Disney would say, (SINGS QUICKLY) 'When you wish upon a star', or something like that, yep, our ancestors were on to it. They had their own Disney Channel, and her name was Hiwa-i-te-rangi. Now, Rangi, this is probably everyone's favourite star. She's the potiki. Hiwa-i-te-rangi. What does she represent? - Represents all your desires and wishes for the year. So, you know, when Matariki rises, you... you let her know what your hopes and desires for the next 12 months will be. - Now, these hopes and desires - like, I hope and desire that one day I'll have an electric Hilux. Or when I go hunting, my gun shoots straight and doesn't miss all the deer. Are those some things that I should actually be sending to Hiwa? - Uh, well, it's firstly, I wanna say, it's not an issue with the gun. - Debateable. - Yeah. So no, it's not about you individually. What they are are collective wishes, so you wish for, like, you know, lots of food or wellbeing for everyone or, you know, you're really wishing for things that benefit the collective as opposed to just thinking about yourself. - Ka pai. And what are your wishes? - I think for a nation we'd like a lot better, um, you know, presenters on television. - Scotty. Scotty Morrison. Take note. - Yeah. Well, you know... And you know that a lot more of us speak te reo Maori. - Kia ora. Was one of your wishes last year that Matariki would be celebrated again and even more this year? - It was. It was one of my wishes, and, you know, Hiwa-i-te-rangi cracked it. - Mm. Was also one of your wishes to be on Hongi to Hangi, Season Two? - It was. It was. It's actually been a wish of mine since the first episode, and, you know, I'm so thankful Hiwa granted my wishes. - Yeah, well, that's cos other people were unavailable and stuff. What are your wishes for the new year? - Oh, I'd like the war in Ukraine to stop. - Yeah. That's a great wish. - I wish inflation to go down. - Another great wish. - And that's it, really. Yeah. - Yeah. Any personal wishes? Anything that you really wanna achieve, put out into the universe and manifest? - That I'll find a girlfriend. - Nice. - Yep. - Nice. Handsome bugger like you, bro - it's not gonna be hard. - Oh, thanks, man. - I think Hiwa-i-te-rangi will look after you. - Oh, yeah? - My aspirations for the coming year - to learn more about Matariki. Number one. - You have New Year's resolutions during the Pakeha one - December, Jan - you're usually kind of fading out on that New Year's resolution by March. Boom! Pipiri, baby. Matariki - another New Year's resolution. - Dr Rangi Matamua says don't ask for the lotto numbers. It's not what it's about. (LAUGHS) But the lotto numbers would be good. - I would love to see te iwi Maori make some time in those days to plant one tree. One tree is enough. Whether it's in your backyard or nanny's backyard or on your whenua, that's a real connection to your land. You planted that tree on your land when you were 4, 5, 15. Just remember the tree and where you planted it. And you'll always be able to say, 'No ko tenei whenua.' - When I wish upon a star - Hiwa-i-te-rangi - there's a wish. It's your ability to synthesise everything that you are - Waiti, Waita, Tupuanuku, Tupuarangi, Matariki te tuatahi... Waipuna-a-rangi. Synthesise it all and know what it means. It means something. Now, once you know that meaning in your brain cells, go (CLICKS TONGUE) like the genie did and put it here. Going. Do something about it. - What the stars of Matariki do tell us in some way is to look after our well-being, body, mind and spirit. So it's appropriate that the star Matariki - the mother and largest star of the cluster - is the star that signifies the health and well-being of all people. Now, Rangi a lot of people think Matariki and think of the cluster, but Matariki is actually one of the stars in the cluster, am I right? - It is. So we give the name Matariki to the cluster as well as the big star in the cluster. - The big star. What does she represent? - Well-being. You know, all around well-being - well-being of your body, the well-being of your mind, you know, your overall well-being and the collective well-being of the family. - In the interests of the collective well-being of this nation, I've travelled the length and breadth of this beautiful country, meeting, fascinating people, doing great things for future generations in an effort to find the meaning of Matariki... - Are you guys talking about the railway, eh? - No. No, we're not. - Kia ora, Tamati. - ...and the best way for us as a nation to celebrate. (LAUGHS) It seems to me that Matariki is basically about coming together to share. Che. And the best way to do that is to have a feed and honour the stars of Matariki. Now, what's that I smell? Bonjour. What a feast we've got prepared by yours truly. Well, all of us. - Yeah. - Together. We did it all as one. - Yeah. - Let's break it down e te whanau. Firstly, I look over here - the humble kumara. I'm getting (SNIFFS) hints of honey, like, a glaze. - Yeah, it's kumara and puha. - Has it got a glaze? No? OK. Over here, we've got- Oh my gosh. It looks delicious. Butter, salt, pepper. - Yes. That's the mashed potato. - Moving on, over here, we've got pain frit, otherwise known as fried bread. - With watercress and eel - tuna. - Beautiful. Moving on, over here, we've got... - Your favourite. - The beautiful, pungent, disgusting, almost, pungent - the titi. Over here, I assume we have line-caught gurnard. - Yeah, well, you caught it, so... - From Pak'nSave. - Raw fish. - Moving on, I see the kutai. - It's our homage to Waita. - Homage to Waita. Over here, tio - oysters. - Yes. - Disgusting. Moving on. Finally, the lovely crayfish. Looks a little bit lonely there, but I could only get us one. - Yes. - Well, obviously you won't be having these kinds of kai at your table, and that's unlucky for you, but it's not about showing off here, is it, e te whanau? It's about really getting your whanau together, having the kai that you have at hand and just bringing people together. So good luck. - We'll be at hautapu out at South Auckland, so that'll be pretty much a breakfast after a dawn ceremony, so that'll be your usual scrambled eggs and bacon and- - That doesn't relate to any star, though. Which one is the egg star? (LAUGHS) - No, no, that's at the hautapu you put that up. But afterwards, you eat whatever you want. - The favourite kai for us is a boil-up. I mean, we'd love hangi, but that's... You know, with all the restrictions - you need a permit to dig here, dig there. That's why a lot of us go to Uber Eats. We don't have to get a permit. Just got to have putea in the bank. But this time we will do our boil-up. - ALL: Manawatia a Matariki. - I! - Say, 'Happy Matariki.' - Yeah. Happy Matariki to all of you. - And say, 'Tamati's got the best moustache in the whole TV world.' - # I'm going down the mara # pulling out the weeds, # harvesting some kumara so we can have mean feeds. # Tupuanuku - # there's a star, there's a star. # Down at the awa, we're looking for some eels. # Swap them for some tyres, get the meke deals. # Waiti - # There's a star, there's a star. # Matariki - # Oh, baby. - # Ka nui te mihi. - # Every time you come around, # every time you come around, # we celebrate. # Putting on my Speedos, # going for a dive. # We can get some paua. - # Ae, but only five. - # Waita - # there's a star, there's a star. # Me and the bro looking through the bush. (RECORD SCRATCHES) We're not being creepy or anything. # But we got a titi bucket. # Yeah. Tupuarangi - # there's a star, there's a star. # It's time to reflect on the ones that we've lost. # Yo, Francis Tipene, how much does it cost? - # Pohutukawa. # Some call it the Seven Sisters, Pleiades or Subaru. - Hika, some even call it M-45, C-1, Melotte 22. # Matariki. - # Oh, baby. - # Ka nui te mihi. - # Every time you come around, # every time you come around, # we celebrate. # Captions by Jessie Puru and Sam Baker. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.

Hongi to Hangi: Matariki Special

Hongi to Hangi returns to answer all the questions you had about te ao Maori but were too afraid to ask, with a special episode celebrating our newest public holiday: Matariki.

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