Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua

As the stars of Matariki rise once again, we begin to look to the sky. Matariki —a time of remembrance, celebration, and setting intentions for the year ahead, signals the new year in te ao Māori. Matariki is a time to pause, acknowledge those who have passed, give thanks for what has been, and prepare to move with purpose into the future.

The whakataukī 'Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua' speaks to this beautifully—walking backwards into the future, eyes fixed on the past. It reminds us that knowledge, growth, and hope are grounded in reflection. As we all celebrate Matariki, this whakataukī offers a way to think about how we nurture curiosity and learning in our everyday lives.

Long before the invention of telescopes or textbooks, Māori looked to the stars for guidance. Matariki helped signal when to plant and harvest, when to gather, and when to rest. The stars were observed for their tohu (signs):  brightness, position, and timing gave clues about the season ahead. Tohu still observed today.

This kind of observation, pattern recognition, and reflection is at the heart of both mātauranga Māori and western science. The night sky becomes a classroom, and Matariki our kaiako.

Encouraging tamariki to look up and ask questions is a simple but powerful way to start building scientific thinking in our next generation. Which stars can they see? How do they move? Why do they appear each hōtoke (winter)? No answers needed in the moment, what matters is nurturing the habit of wonder inspired by our tūpuna (ancestors).

Matariki reminds us that science isn’t just learned in labs or on whiteboards. It lives in the seasons, in our gardens, in the way we prepare kai, build things, and tell stories.

When we take time to observe the world—how water moves, how the wind changes, how a star cluster returns each winter—we are thinking about science grounded in place and relationship. This is the kind of akoranga (lesson) that sticks.

STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) is not something extra to squeeze in, it’s already present in everyday life. Matariki offers a reminder to notice it, celebrate it, and share it.

Each of the nine stars in the Matariki cluster is connected to a different part of life—kai from the land and sea, rain and wind, the wellbeing of people, remembrance, and dreams for the future. This offers an amazing framework for conversations with our young ones:

• What do we want to grow this year (Tupuānuku)?
• What can we do to care for our rivers (Waitī)?
• What do we remember about loved ones we’ve lost (Pōhutukawa)?
• What are our hopes for the future (Hiwa-i-te-Rangi)?

These are the kinds of questions that open up opportunities to explore not only science, but storytelling, and identity. When tamariki feel safe to wonder and explore, they begin to see themselves as problem-solvers and inventors.

We say this all the time because it is true: You don’t need to be an expert to support learning! It can begin with a question, a conversation, or time spent looking up at the night sky together. It grows through curiosity, connection, and encouragement.

As the stars of Matariki rise, let them be a reminder to slow down, reconnect with the natural world, and recognise the learning already happening in our everyday lives. Mānawatia a Matariki. Let the stars guide us, just as they always have.

Kaiya Cherrington