Lorinda Pereira speaking on YouTube shares her Hokianga/Ngā Puhi perspective on Matariki (Puanga):
"Matariki to me is a point in time where our people come together and set aside a spiritual space to reset, to look forward and to navigate what the next year may look like, to reflect on the year that has been, and to plan strategically , how to thrive on our whenua here in Aotearoa."
The Te Aka Puaho Moderator (PCANZ Māori Synod) Marina Rakuraku wrote; "Matariki brings to mind the preparing of soil to receive new seeds, it’s also the beginning of the Māori New Year."
It's interesting to see something clearly intended to be spiritual and non-commercial, already being hijacked by commercial interests with 'Matariki sales' and so on. Some bemoan the loss of a trading day. A worldview that measures everything economically and statistically is potentially toxic. We experience this when we have to justify our various ministries by 'bums on seats' or other bottom lines. Spiritual health and wellness, and community connectedness are almost impossible to quantify. Anxiety and burnout are often the result from the pressure of numbers.
Being open to other cultures and their perspective is enriching. Māori perspectives are available to us in New Zealand more than anywhere else, if we dismiss them we will be poorer for it. Why do you think Māori found hope and spiritual sustenance from the Hebrew prophets during the time of land-loss and colonisation? They resonated with the wholistic picture of the Shalom of God in scripture, the images of Exodus and exile. There was a connectedness they related to at a deep level.
Let me invite you in this Matariki season as we deal with the Covid fallout, the winter cold and warnings of a bad run of flu to reflect on our community life. The ground of our church lies fallow, what will emerge as new shoots come spring? Are we brave enough to pause and give thanks for what we have this mid-winter, while seeing new ways of being and doing in the future? We are a people of hope and faith...
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. (Isaiah 11:1)