When the stars return: celebrating Matariki and Puanga in Upper Hutt
Published on 16 June 2026
Across Aotearoa, the rising of Matariki signals a quiet shift in the world around us.
The nights deepen, the air cools, and a cluster of stars returns to the winter sky. It is a time when we pause, not to rush forward, but to remember, to reflect, to give thanks, and to look ahead with hope.
For many iwi, Matariki is a time to gather the living and honour those who have passed since the last rising. It is a time to reflect on the harvest of the past year, to acknowledge the state of our environment, and to set intentions for the year to come. In recent years, Matariki has also become a national moment of unity, an invitation for all who call Aotearoa home to share in this cycle of remembrance and renewal.
Yet here in Te Awakairangi, the story of the stars is also told through Puanga.
While Matariki rises first for much of the country, Puanga appears in our Upper Hutt skies as the guiding star of the new year in many traditions of the lower North Island, including Taranaki and parts of Wellington. For our communities in Upper Hutt, Puanga holds particular significance as a marker of seasonal change and a reminder of our own local narratives of the sky. It is a star that speaks to place, to the whenua beneath us and the whakapapa that connects sky, land, and people.
Puanga carries the same wairua of reflection and renewal. It is a time to remember those who have passed, to acknowledge the challenges and growth of the past year, and to come together as a community with shared purpose. In this way, Puanga and Matariki are not separate stories, but woven threads in the wider fabric of seasonal knowledge across Aotearoa.
This year, the Upper Hutt community is invited to come together to mark this time through a series of shared experiences. These gatherings are opportunities to listen, learn, and connect; to hear the stories of our stars, to engage with mātauranga Māori; and to reflect on what this season means for us here, in this place.
In a fast-moving world, these moments ask us to slow down. To look upward. To remember that the night sky has always been a guide, not only for navigation, but for understanding who we are, where we come from, where we are, and where we are heading together.
As Matariki rises, and Puanga follows in our own skies, we are reminded that new beginnings are never solitary. They are shared. They are carried in story, in memory, and in community.