It is the result of long efforts by the indigenous people of New Zealand: From 2022, the Maori New Year’s festival Matariki is an official holiday in their homeland.
Wellington – New Zealand wants to celebrate the Matariki New Year festival of the Maori indigenous people as a public holiday from next year. The law is to be read out in parliament this Thursday and will soon be passed.
“Matariki will be the first public holiday that recognizes the Maori worldview,” said Deputy Minister for Arts and Culture, Kiri Allan. The politician has Maori roots herself.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the project in February. In doing so, she fulfilled an election promise made by the Labor Party. The law is expected to be passed by a large majority. The public holiday, which occurs on a different day each year, falls on June 24 in 2022.
Efforts have long been made to officially recognize the important festival of the indigenous people in New Zealand. Matariki is the Maori name for the Pleiades constellation (constellation Taurus). When the star nebula rises for the first time in June, around the time of the winter solstice, the Maori era begins the new year. For them it is a time to remember, but also an opportunity to celebrate new beginnings. dpa
