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Māoriland announces Matariki Ramaroa Arts Festival for 2023

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From July 1 – 23, Kapiti Coast will once again be home to a myriad of celebrations for the Matariki Ramaroa Arts Festival.

Matariki Ramaroa is an Arts Festival for all of Kapiti with live music, Māori visual arts exhibitions, the lighting of the Matariki Ramaroa Beacon fires, tree planting, beach cleanups and the NATIVE Minds series of thought leaders at venues across the district.

Matariki signals the Māori new year. It is a time for commemorating the passing of loved ones. It is a time for reflecting on the past year and making  plans for the coming year. It is also a time for celebration! 

On Saturday July 8, from 5 – 10 pm, Ōtaki’s Main Street will be filled with food trucks, street artists, musicians and light installations. Ōtaki’s Memorial Hall will be buzzing with Matariki Got Talent and a glow in the dark disco for children. 

Matariki Ramaroa inspires, educates and celebrates this unique Aotearoa event with all on the Kapiti Coast. It’s an opportunity for Kapiti residents and visitors to the region to experience the Māori traditions and arts practices of Matariki.

For more information about Matariki Ramaroa, head to: matariki.maorilandfilm.co.nz 

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MATARIKI RAMAROA – Closing Weekend Postponed: NEW DATES JULY 22 – 23

Despite some big weather events that have hit the Kāpiti Coast over the past week Matariki Ramaroa 2022 has continued with music, arts and community events. 

Due to COVID-19 in the technical crew, our Ōtaki Light Art Events – scheduled for Friday July 15 – 16 have been postponed. 

Matariki Ramaroa will now close at Ōtaki Beach on Friday July 22 – Saturday July 23 at the same time of 5 pm til 9 pm on both nights. 

We appreciate your support and hope that you can still join us on Friday July 22 and Saturday July 23.

Mānawatia a Matariki


Dylan Thomas Herkes
Matariki Ramaroa Festival Producer

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Māoriland announces TWO Festivals at Matariki 2022

Māoriland is excited to announce the dates for its 2022 Indigenous film festival and its new Matariki Ramaroa light arts festival.

After postponement earlier this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, Māoriland Film Festival (MFF) will run over five days from June 29 to July 3 in Ōtaki. MFF2022 will coincide with a month-long Matariki Light Art Festival – Matariki Ramaroa, also run by Māoriland.

At MFF2022 Indigenous filmmakers from across the globe will share their stories in over 80 films screening at the MFF with award-winning feature length drama and illuminating documentaries, to a diverse collection of short films. 

MFF2022 Programme director Madeleine Hakaraia de Young says lifting of border restrictions means the return of international filmmakers to present their films.

“Māoriland is 9 years young and the largest in person  international Indigenous film festival in the world ” says Madeleine.

“Pre covid international filmmakers and screen industry reps were coming in bigger numbers every year to the festival. When the borders closed our Aotearoa filmmaking community was brought closer together at Māoriland. Now there’ll be an even bigger reason to celebrate as we welcome our friends from overseas back to Ōtaki to share their films.”

The full programme for the 2022 Māoriland Film Festival will be announced on May 18.

MFF2022 occurs with the month-long Matariki Ramaroa creating a double celebration for the Kāpiti region. The two festivals combined will provide a month of arts experiences starting on June 24, 2022 – the first Matariki public holiday.

Hariata Moriarty and Desray Armstrong at Cousins.
Hariata Moriarty and Desray Armstrong at Cousins.

In 2003  I published the first of three Matariki themed books. At that time I knew very little about the constellation. I was travelling around the country asking people what they knew. 20 years later we are about to celebrate with a public holiday and by being part of the organising team behind two festivals. Said Māoriland Film Festival Director Libby Hakaraia.

Matariki Ramaroa runs through July with the Māoriland Film Festival, theatre and art exhibitions before ending with the closing weekend of the Light sculptures at Ōtaki Beach on July 15 – 17.

Photos from last year's Matariki Ramaroa
Photos from last year’s Matariki Ramaroa
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UV Spaghetiti

“I’m excited that Kāpiti proudly supports the special tradition of Matariki – celebrating together, making space to remember loved ones, being inspired and engaged and having important conversations together”, said Matariki Ramaroa festival producer Dylan Herkes. 

The Matariki Ramaroa programme will be revealed through May starting May 3.

MATARIKI LIGHTING THE BEACONS

Prominent Māori Art Exhibition opens in Paraparaumu

UPDATE: Due to recent COVID restrictions, collaborative partners Kiwibank, Creative Kāpiti and Māoriland have re-scheduled the Tiaho Mai Exhibition to July 12 – August 6 2021. This exhibition will be open Monday – Friday 9am-4.30pm.

We have also just announced a new event to the exhibition – Tiaho Mai Weekend Artist Floor Talks, Saturday July 17, 1:30pm-4:30pm.

A new collaboration between Creative Kāpiti, Māoriland and Kiwibank is bringing a stunning art exhibition to Paraparaumu as part of the Matariki, Lighting the Beacons Festival.

Tiaho Mai showcases authentic traditional and contemporary Māori artworks featuring renowned Toi Iho artists, Ngā Aho Whenua Residency Weavers – Pip Devonshire and Sonia Snowden, artists of the ART Confederation of Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Toa Rangatira as well as invited leading and emerging artists.

Tiaho Mai describes the action of rays of shining light, to be enlightened. Tiaho Mai is the sixth exhibition inside Kiwibank Paraparaumu as part of Creative Kāpiti Art for Everyone programme, partly funded by Kāpiti Creative Communities Scheme.

‘The Creative Kāpiti philosophy is mā te mahi tahi, ka ora ai te iwi – by working together we move forward,’ says Jenna-Lea Philpott, founder of Creative Kāpiti.

‘Both Māoriland and Creative Kāpiti are dedicated to raising the visibility and appreciation of creative skills, including Ngā Toi Māori, and the important role they play in our everyday lives, our wellbeing and economic development.’

Kaitiaki Toi of Māoriland and Project Curator Maakarita Paku agrees, ‘Exhibiting artists have acquired their mātauranga Māori knowledge and skills over many years. For many this will be a first, exhibiting in Paraparaumu. We are committed to increasing awareness and the importance of the Wharepora (domain of fine arts and textiles) across communities of Kāpiti, the greater Wellington region, Horowhenua and Manawatū. This includes the annual Te Roopū Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa Conference in Ōtaki over Labour Weekend.’

The Tiaho Mai exhibition will be of interest to serious collectors of Māori art and as part of Creative Kāpiti Art for Everyone programme, providing increased access to art in the community. As the title Tiaho Mai suggests, we know that for many in our community, this will be an enlightening experience.

Kiwibank has noticed a steady increase in non-banking visitors since the Creative Kāpiti Gallery launched in November 2020. ‘We’re excited that Tiaho Mai contributes to our rautaki Māori, a national strategy defining Kiwibank’s engagement with te ao Māori,’ said Teahooterangi Pihama, Head of Māori Advisory. ‘We are committed to building strong and meaningful relationships with Māori by normalising te reo Māori me ōna Tikanga and excited to host this collaborative exhibition with Creative Kāpiti and Māoriland.’

TIAHO MAI IS OPEN JULY 12-AUGUST 6, MONDAY-FRIDAY 9AM-4.30PM AT KIWIBANK PARAPARAUMU, COASTLANDS MALL.

All artworks will be available to view and purchase online at: toi.maorilandfilm.co.nz/ The exhibition is open from 9am-4.30pm Monday to Friday and closes 30 July.

Matariki Light Art

‘Matariki, Lighting The Beacons’ Festival announced

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A new festival for all of Kāpiti

Māoriland Charitable Trust is proud to announce Matariki, Lighting the Beacons Festival, a month-long multi-disciplinary arts festival to be held across the Kāpiti Region, July 2 – 25, 2021. 

Bookended by two amazing public light sculpture events at the beginning and end of July, Lighting the Beacons includes music, arts and theatre as well as multiple community events for Kāpiti whānau to enjoy. 

Matariki, Lighting the Beacons is produced by Māoriland Charitable Trust, the organisation responsible for Ōtaki’s highly successful Māoriland Film Festival. 

“We’re busy preparing to make this festival something incredibly special for Kāpiti. We want to help bring the tikanga of Matariki into an understood and celebrated part of living here in the pacific and the artfulness of our living, breathing contemporary culture,” Dylan Herkes, Event Producer.

Matariki is the Māori tradition that marks the rising of the star cluster also known as Pleiades. Matariki signals the beginning of Te Tau Hou Māori, the new year,  and is a time for commemorating the passing of loved ways as well as making plans for the coming year. It is also a time for celebration.

“Matariki, Lighting the Beacons Festival aims to bring together the Kāpiti Coast from Paekakariki to Ōtaki. It will give artists an opportunity to perform, sing, show their creative and visual art  talents and for those with deep knowledge of Māori astronomy, gardening and other traditions to share what they know. We invite our community to be a part of this unique time of the year in Aotearoa”.

Matariki, Lighting the Beacons Festival will include free and ticketed events for the entire whānau to be part of. Join us for Lighting the Beacons in Kāpiti this Matariki!