Hau Taki Haere: Te Iwa o Matariki.

Hau Taki Haere | Tertiary Update Vol 27, No 12

Mānawatia a Matariki.

Mānawa maiea te putanga o Matariki
Celebrate the rising of Matariki

Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi
Celebrate the rising of the lord of the sky

Mānawa maiea te Mātahi o te tau
Celebrate the rising of the New Year

On Friday 14 July, Aotearoa will celebrate Matariki as a public holiday for the second time in our history.

First proposed by former Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori CEO Haami Piripi back in 2006, and finally made law by the Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Bill on 12 April 2022, Matariki is the first of our public holidays to celebrate Te Ao Māori and Mātauranga Māori.

This will be a wonderful occasion to greet our whānau, friends, colleagues, and fellow TEU members with the phrase – Mānawatia a Matariki – and use this time to celebrate with one another, show respect and thanks for our taiao and all it provides us, spend time with whānau and friends, and share kai, waiata/haka, whakapapa, and tākaro.

Matariki is a time to celebrate new life, to remember those who’ve passed, and to plan for the future. In acknowledging our tūpuna and all of those who have come before us, we also recognise the shared history of Aotearoa New Zealand, as tangata whenua, Pākehā, and tauiwi alike.

Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union (TEU) celebrates Matariki every year with a special edition of Hau Taki Haere | Tertiary Update. This year, we have chosen to honour Pōhutukawa – the star that commemorates those who have passed on – with a series of reflections about valued TEU members we have lost, Tangata Māori and Tangata Tiriti.

In this edition:

• Dr Te Moana Nui a Kiwa (Moana) Jackson
• Helen Kelly
• Dr Huirangi Waikerepuru
• David Neilson
• Mary Mereiwa Broughton
• Joce Jesson
• Kāterina Daniels
• Cat Pausé

Kupu Whakataki | Foreword

By Gary Te Waaka (Te Kura Matatini o Taranaki | Western Institute of Technology)

Pōhutukawa

The star Pōhutukawa (Greek: Sterope) is the star associated with those who have died. Curator Mātauranga Māori Amber Aranui talks about the whetū Pōhutukawa and remembers those being returned home, and a special person we recently lost from our Te Papa whānau.

What this means for TEU

Tū kotahi, tū kaha

We acknowledge past warriors or comrades who have contributed to Te Hautū Kahurangi | TEU, such as their wisdom, unknown effortless mahi, and unlimited connections as we continue to stand strong as one.

What this means for you

Tātou, tātou e

We have been given a platform by those who have passed and gone before us; our responsibility is to continue their legacy and ensure our treatment of others is mana enhancing, and our mahi tahi (working together) is for better improvements and being a strong voice for equitable rights and decisions made in the tertiary sector.

Where to from here as a union

Awhi atu, awhi mai

As we move into uncertain times, we must endure practices such as awhi atu, awhi mai by supporting one another, standing as one, not against, strong and firm on stances providing the next generation stronger whanaungatanga (relationships) that will build on the foundation laid by those who have passed.

Ngā piki, ngā heke

We remember our members who have passed since TEU’s inception, and those within the last year. Despite the highs and lows throughout the journey, we thank you for your contributions and advancing the goals of the union to ensure we became the union we are today.

Tū kotahi, tū kaha
Ngā piki, ngā heke
Awhi atu, awhi mai
Tātou, tātou e

Moe mai rā koutou kua wehe atu ki tua o te ārai.
Haere ki Pōhutukawa. Kua whetūrangitia!

E tū Pōhutukawa e
Te kaikawe i ngā mate o te tau
Haere rā koutou ki te uma o ranginui
Haere ki te kāhui o Matariki, ki Pōhutukawa e.
Koia rā! Kua whetūrangitia koutou

Behold Pōhutukawa
Who carries the dead of the year
Onward the departed to the chest of the sky
Onward into the Matariki star cluster, to Pōhutukawa.
Indeed! You have become stars.