Mānawatia a Matariki! (classroom activity)

A Matariki activity to celebrate te tau hou Māori and bring your ākonga together.

Matariki is a special time in Aotearoa. It marks the Māori New Year and the rising of our star cluster in the winter sky. Most importantly, Matariki is a time to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and set intentions for the future.

Each of the nine stars in the Matariki cluster connects us to a different part of the world around us—like the ocean, rain, or the food we grow—and to the people and places we hold close.

In this activity, your class will explore the science and meaning of the Matariki stars by creating your own class constellation - which you can adapt to suit your class and learning areas.

Each student will design and write on a star that connects to one of the whetū (stars) in the Matariki constellation. Together, you’ll create a collaborative display that celebrates your class’s learning, goals, and connection to the world around them.

• Star templates (you can print, cut out, or draw your own)
• Pens, pencils, felt tips.
• A wall or board space for your constellation
• Optional: dark paper or fabric for a night-sky effect
• Optional: string, LED lights, or glitter

Start with a class kōrero (chat) about Matariki. Ask questions like:

• Have you ever seen Matariki in the sky?
• What do you already know about it?
• Why do you think Matariki is important?

Matariki – Reflection, wellbeing, and the environment

Pōhutukawa – Honouring those who have passed

Tupuānuku – Food from the ground

Tupuārangi – Food from the sky (birds, berries, fruit)

Waitī – Freshwater and the life within it

Waitā – The ocean and all it holds

Waipunarangi – Rain and weather

Ururangi – Winds and movement

Hiwa-i-te-Rangi – Hopes, dreams, and wishes for the future

Watch 'The Stars of Matariki - Ngā Whetu o Matariki- The Sandman Marcus Winter' to develop your own knowledge of the stars of Matariki or share with your class!

Give each student a star-shaped piece of paper. Ask them to:

• Pick a star they feel connected to
• Write a personal goal or reflection that links to that star
• Add any facts they’ve learned about Matariki (or Puanga)
• Decorate their star to match the meaning—colour, symbols, or drawings

For example:

• A student picks Tupuānuku and writes: “My goal is to grow veggies with my whānau this year.”
• Another chooses Waipunarangi and writes: “I want to learn more about how rain helps the rivers and plants.”

Gather everyone’s stars and place them together on a wall, board, or hanging display to create your class constellation. You can try matching the real star pattern of Matariki—or design something new that reflects the uniqueness of your class.

• Explore how constellations work and why we see different ones at different times of the year. Talk about how different groups all over the world use stars to tell stories, navigate, or mark time.
• Turn each star into a story prompt. Ask students to write about their chosen star or a wish for the future.
• Use graph paper or coordinate grids to map the constellation and talk about distance and angles between stars.
• You can even make it paperless. Create a digital constellation using a shared online slide deck—each student adds their own 'star' slide.

• What does your star represent in the world around us?
• What does Matariki help us remember or celebrate?
• Before we had calendars or weather apps, how do you think people connected with the stars?

Matariki is about connecting with the people you care about and reflecting on the past as you move into the future. Use this important time as an opportunity to learn more, creating your own constellation (like Matariki) that represents each unique star in your class.