The Moderator has shared a Matariki message.
Matariki opens up so many possibilities for reflection and celebration. In its literal meaning there is the idea of divine encounter. And this divine encounter is linked to harvest time, giving thanks for that which has been, and hopes for that which is to come. The harvest element leads naturally into enjoying together good food, the fruits of the harvest, a feast!
Right Rev. Hamish Galloway
Then the Moderator goes on to make a connection with Isaiah 51. ‘Remembrance, thankfulness for what we have right now, and a hopeful attitude towards the future are core values [for] us.’
Look to the rock from which you were cut
and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
look to Abraham, your father,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth …The LORD will surely comfort Zion
and will look with compassion on all her ruins;
he will make her deserts like Eden,
her wastelands like the garden of the LORD.
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
Read the full message here.
Local Matariki celebrations
Onewa Christian Community took part in a dawn gathering and Hautapu ceremony to acknowledge Matariki. This was in Northcote on the morning of 11 July, at Te Kamaka Marae, the site of the former Hato Petera College.
