Matariki celebration in the Christchurch red zone
Hundreds gathered on the edge of the residential red zone in Christchurch on Sunday night to celebrate the Matariki festival with music, wood carving and tree planting. The annual festival marks the start of te Matahi o te tau, the new year, which coincides with the rising of Matariki, or the Pleiades star cluster, in the night sky. This week, Stuff has launched a campaign to make Matariki a public holiday from next year. The festival had a special meaning to the many people who took part in Matariki in the Zone event at Avebury House in Richmond on Sunday. READ MORE: * Stars align for Matariki celebrations in the winter school holidays * Out of trauma comes hope and new life, says Christchurch's Peter Beck * Goodbye weeds and broken footpaths, hello boardwalk and kayak launch For carver Dallas Matoe, who gave carving demonstrations at the event, the festival was a time for reflection. For me, Matariki means taking stock and reflecting on the year and thinking about what is coming, he said. Tamara Poi, a committee member of the Avon Otakaro Forest Park group, helped plant 115 trees in the red zone at the Christchurch event. She said Matariki was also a time to remember departed loved ones. It is a time to sit and reflect, a time to spend with loved ones and engage with the community and pay homage to those we have left behind. She said the tree planting was about being a kaitiaki, or guardian, to the environment and was part of a broader initiative to create new forests in the residential red zone. Kapa haka group Tu Tapatahi performed at the Matariki in the Zone event. One of the groups leaders, Junior Tana, said Matariki was a celebration. It is a time to hang out together and have fun. One of the events organisers, Hayley Guglietta of the Avon-Otakaro Network, said she hoped the event would grow each year. This years event featured flax weaving, a hangi and star gazing if the clouds allowed. Guglietta said Matariki was an important part of the calendar. It is a time to stop and reflect and plan. Matariki is the Maori name used to describe the Pleiades star cluster. The cluster rises on the northeast horizon and its annual appearance marks the start of the Maori new year.