Matariki ceremony 'a platform to launch into new year'

Thousands have gathered at Takaparawhau, Bastion Point in Tāmaki Makaurau before dawn to celebrate the rise of Matariki and welcome the Māori New Year.

Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei are hosting this year's national Hautapu ceremony which observes the official transition phase of the Māori lunar calendar.

One of the young Ngāti Whātua leaders working behind the scenes to make this morning possible was Hayley Kipa.

She said the marae especially is the heart of Ōrākei.

"It's pretty much our second home, we do live here a lot of the time because we mahi here as well.

"Those fights back then, you know, with Uncle Joe [Hawke] and Bastion Point and all the history, even prior to that with raupatu and everything else as well, we wouldn't be here today if our tūpuna didn't do what they did back then and our aunties and uncles and our kaumātua and kuia, so we're just reaping the rewards."

Kipa is a cultural practitioner, working with everything that has to do with kapa haka.

"That's been my lane and I've been sticking in it."

Kipa said with where the iwi is situated in the central isthmus of Auckland welcoming big crowds was not new to them.

"We're surrounded by a lot of other ethnicities within Tāmaki Makaurau who come here frequently, especially our communities. We've got an awesome community, got awesome surrounding communities around Ōrākei and the people within the communities that also come to Ngāti Whātua and to Ōrākei."

Kingi Makoare was one of a group of kaikarakia, who led the traditional incantations to Matariki.

During part of the hautapu ceremony, when the focus is on the star Pōhutukawa, people will call out the names of those who have died over the last year.

"When you are part of the ceremony it's difficult at times to keep the composure, especially when you're hearing the names being spoken aloud, and from the crowd as well and hearing others that you have known and you hear their names and it really does make it real," Makoare said.

That's one of the beautiful things about Matariki - it provides another opportunity to grieve together, he said.

"That also provides, I guess, a platform to then launch into the new year. A bit of gratitude, being a bit more thankful and a bit more nicer to each other when we think of those people and what they stood for as well."