Matariki Ahunga Nui

Kids and whānau activities

Te hanga poi - Poi Making

East Terrace, Level 2

10am–5pm

Piri mai ki a mātou ki Te Tūāpapa ki te Rāwhiti  ki te hanga i tāu ake poi mā te wūru me te rawa hangarua.

Join us on the East Terrace to make your own poi out of wool and recycled materials.

Hiwa-i-te-rangi – Wishing Tree

Te Ātea | North Atrium, Mezzanine

10am–5pm

Ko Hiwa-i-te-rangi te whetū o Matariki e hono ana ki te whakatinanatanga o ngā wawata! He aha tāu e wawata ai mō te tau e tū mai nei?

Hiwa-i-te-rangi is the star of Matariki that is associated with making wishes come true! What wish will you make for the next year? Cut out your star and write down your wish to hang on the wishing tree.

Spoken Word Workshop for Rangatahi

Members Lounge, Level 2

11am–12:30pm

Piri atu ki te toa toikupu (Poetry Slam), ki a Ngaio Simmons (Ngāti Porou). He kaupapa kore utu. He kaupapa tēnei mā te rangatahi 13-30 te pakeke. E tūpā ana ngā tūranga, nō reira, tāpuia i raro iho nei. 

Join Poetry Slam champ Ngaio Simmons (Ngāti Porou) for a free spoken word workshop.

This session is for all rangatahi aged 13–30. In recognition of Matariki and the transition of seasons, this workshop will focus on te taiao and our place in an ever-changing natural world. We’ll be tapping into the power of writing as a medium through which we can express ourselves, specifically focusing on the art of spoken word poetry. This workshop will be a space for us to think, reflect and write our ever-changing stories.

Spaces are limited, please book via this link.

Photo credit: Action Education

Kapa Haka

Te Ātea | North Atrium, Mezzanine 11.30am–12.00pm & 2:00–2:30pm

Nau mai, haere mai. Piri mai tātou kia mātakitaki tahi i Te Kapa Haka o Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi Marae e whakaatu ana i ngā pūmanawa o ā rātou rangatahi. Ko Hoani Waititi ngā toa whakaihuwaka o te whakataetae, Ngā Kapa Haka Kura Tuarua o Aotearoa i te tau 2022, ā, ko rātou anō tērā i toa whakaihuwaka i te whataetae Polyfest i roto i ngā tau o te 1996 ki te 2001. Koirā tētahi angitutanga kāore anō kia ekea. I te whakataetae Polyfest i tēnei tau i eke rātou ki te tūranga tuarua.  

Welcome, welcome. Join us in witnessing Te Kapa Haka o Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi Marae showcase their rangatahi (youth) talent. Hoani Waititi are the current national champions of Ngā Kapa Haka Kura Tuarua o Aotearoa (2022) and have set the record of overall winner of the Polyfest Māori stage consecutively from 1996 to 2001. This record has never been beaten. At this year’s Polyfest they placed second overall winner.

We are honoured to host their performances of two half-hour kapa haka at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

The performances are free to attend. We recommend arriving early to gain the best viewing position.

Hoani Waititi Marae opened in 1980 with a purpose to be a centre for Māori language, culture and practice. Te Kapa Haka o Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi Marae is one of five cultural groups based at Hoani Waititi Marae.

Photo credit: Cherrilee Fuller/Taiao Creative

Waiata Manahau with Jordyn Rapana

Te Ātea | North Atrium, Mezzanine

12:30–1:15pm

Hei tēnei Matariki, piri mai ki a mātou mō te kaupapa Waiata Joy. He kaupapa ngahau e ako ai ki te waiata tahi ki ō hoa, ki tō whānau me te hunga tauhou ki a koe.

Join us for Waiata Manahau, a fun and friendly way to learn waiata with friends, family and strangers. Singing is a great way to practise your reo as melody and memory are strongly linked. Plus, it’s FUN!

Jordyn Rapana (Jordyn with a Why) is a Māori/Sāmoan singer/songwriter based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Her music offers a vehicle for storytelling and soul soothing through ethereal and funky R&B sounds.

Raised in a musical family, Jordyn developed a passion for singing through her involvement in church bands. She has been recognised for her songwriting, with her single ‘Brown Melodies’ nominated for Best Single at the Waiata Māori Music Awards 2022. Jordyn also participated in the annual 2022 Reo Māori Songhubs led by Dame Hinewehi Mohi and Sir Tīmoti Kāretu and curated by Bic Runga. Last year, Jordyn won the 2023 APRA Maioha Award for 'Raumati' and was also a finalist for the 2023 Māori Music Awards Best Female Artist and Best Single.

Jordyn’s songwriting is influenced by her cultural heritage, history, world view and experiences. Jordyn’s ‘ why’ is amplifying Māori/Pasifika voices, stories and experiences through her singing and songwriting.

Photo credit: Te Rawhitiroa Bosch

Spoken Word Performances

Te Ātea | North Atrium, Mezzanine

1:30–2:00pm

Ka tū a Ngaio Simmons, rātou ko Arihia Hall, ko Kate Laughter ki te tuku i ā rātou toikupu ki te atamira matua o Te Ātea | North Atrium.

Ngaio Simmons, Arihia Hall and Kate Laughter share their spoken word poetry on the main stage of Te Ātea | North Atrium.

Ngaio Simmons (Ngāti Porou) was born and raised in the diaspora and is currently based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Ngaio placed second in the 2022 NZ National Poetry Slam and they were the 2023 Auckland Regional Slam Champion. Their work has been featured in ANMLY, Contemporary Verse, The Academy of American Poets and most recently in the book Rapture: An Anthology of Performance Poetry Aotearoa New Zealand (Auckland University Press, 2023).

Kate Laughter (Ngāti Porou) was born in western North Carolina and returned to her motu, island, in 2010. She discovered spoken word during the 2021 WORD - The Front Line competition. During the 2022 Auckland Arts Festival she performed for Courageous Conversations and was published in Spoken Walls: A City in Verse. In 2023 she organised and hosted the first open mic night for the Puketāpapa Youth Foundation with No.3 Roskill Theatre. This year, Kate is studying directing and scriptwriting at South Seas: Film & Television School, continuing her passion for storytelling.

Arihia Hall (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Tukorehe) is a poet who uses spoken word as a platform to discuss kaupapa Māori. She incorporates waiata, karakia and reo into her writing and performance. She is also member of Ngā Hinepūkōrero, a collective of wāhine toa who combine their voices through spoken word.

Some other achievements include:

· Coach of WORD – The Frontline 2023 champions Rehekōrero.

· Published poems in Pūhia journal, issues 1 and 2.

· Shared a poem on behalf of her iwi for the Ngāti Tūkorehe Treaty claims hearing, 2023.

Photo credits: Ngaio Simmons and Arihia Hall images by Action Education | Kate Laughter image by Sole Photography. 

Majic Pāora

Te Ātea, Mezzanine

3–3:30pm

Majic Pāora (Ngāti Whātua ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara, Ngāpuhi me Te Aupōuri), arā, ko MAJIC. Ko Majic hei whakakapi i te kaupapa ki āna waiata mākohakoha, ki āna waiata hao i te tangata. Ko te kare ā-roto o te reo o Majic e whakatinana ana i te ohoohotanga o te ao waiata, o te ao puoro.

Majic Pāora (Ngāti Whātua ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara, Ngāpuhi me Te Aupōuri), aka MAJIC, concludes our performances with soulful sounds that captivate. MAJIC’s heartfelt vocals glide along smooth melodies, telling rich stories that embody the essence of conscious soul music.

Photo credit: Julie Zhu

Art of Poi

Members Lounge 

There are two sessions available: 

Session 1: 1.30–2.30pm

Session 2: 3.00–4.00pm

Ākona te whakapapa o te Poi mai i a Georgia Latu, te Tumu Whakarae o Pōtiki Poi. Ka mātua tukuna ngā tūranga ki te hunga tāpui wawe i ngā tīkiti i runga i te iti o te mōrahi o ngā tūranga.

Learn about the rich whakapapa and stories interwoven into poi in this special workshop with the extraordinary Georgia Latu from Pōtiki Poi. Georgia will share her love of poi, a taonga precious to her and her whānau. She will also discuss the parts of poi and how to use them, while sharing her own journey as a young Māori leader and business entrepreneur.

Bookings are essential as spaces are limited, please book via this link. Please commit to participating for the full hour of the workshop when you register. 

Photo credit: Alan Dove 

Kai

Forecourt, Level 2. 10am–5pm

Hokona he kai hūnene i NZ Whitebait Fritters, I Grown Up Donuts, i Let’s Brezel me tō mātou whare kai, Gallery café. Tirohia ā mātou kai o te wā, he hanawiti hāngi pōaka, he kai kōhua hoki.

Purchase delicious kai from NZ Whitebait Fritters, Letz Brezel, Grown Up Donuts and our Gallery café.

Check out the café specials for hāngī pork sliders and boil up.