Best for
Matariki inquiry, maramataka introductions, seasonal reflection, and integrated Te Ao Māori units where ākonga need something more thoughtful than a one-week celebration sheet.
Te Ao Māori • Maramataka inquiry • Years 4-10 • Ready to use tomorrow
Māori Astronomy and Matariki
Use this handout to help ākonga explore how Matariki connects astronomy, seasonal change, remembrance, planning, and community life in Aotearoa. It keeps mātauranga Māori visible as a living knowledge system while making space for local iwi and hapū variation.
Free classroom starter, premium localisation path
This handout is ready to print and use as-is. If you want a version shaped around your local iwi stories, a junior reading level, a bilingual school event, or a Matariki inquiry week, Te Wānanga can adapt it without flattening the tikanga or mātauranga Māori lens.
- Swap in local whetū kōrero, rohe-specific examples, or maramataka practices.
- Create support, core, and extension versions for mixed-readiness groups.
- Save the adapted version and reopen it later in My Kete or Creation Studio.
Kaiako planning snapshot
- Use length: 20-35 minutes as a single inquiry lesson, or as the opening scaffold for a longer Matariki sequence.
- Grouping: Start with whole-class kōrero, then move into pairs or small groups for reflection and response.
- Prep: Decide whether you are centring local whetū kōrero, maramataka, school celebration planning, or environmental noticing.
- Teaching move: Make local variation explicit. Different iwi and hapū hold different emphases, stories, and ways of using Matariki.
Resources already provided
- Local-variation guidance so the learning stays respectful
- Matariki meaning cards and seasonal discussion prompts
- Reflection, observation, and planning scaffold
- Printable write-and-draw response space
- Curriculum companion for teacher planning clarity
If your lesson mentions prompts, reflection sheets, or planning space for a Matariki inquiry, those supports already exist on this page.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- We are learning how Matariki connects astronomy, season, and community life.
- We are learning how mātauranga Māori holds knowledge through observation, memory, and relationship with place.
- We are learning how to reflect, plan, and respond respectfully during Matariki.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can explain at least two reasons Matariki matters in Aotearoa.
- I can describe one way local stories or practices may differ.
- I can record an observation, reflection, or plan linked to Matariki.
Curriculum integration / Te Marautanga alignment
Use the companion page to make the curriculum intent explicit around maramataka, oral knowledge, seasonal language, and the place of mātauranga Māori in classroom inquiry.
Why this matters in Aotearoa
Matariki is not only a “festival of stars”. It is a time of remembrance, renewal, environmental noticing, and forward planning. In many kura it is also one of the clearest entry points for talking about maramataka and the living place of mātauranga Māori in everyday decisions.
Different iwi and hapū carry different kōrero, names, and practices. This handout is designed to support respectful classroom learning, not replace local knowledge holders or rohe-specific guidance.
Matariki lenses for inquiry
Mahara / remembering
Matariki can be a time to remember those who have passed, to honour connection, and to speak about continuity between generations.
Te taiao / environmental noticing
Matariki invites us to notice changes in weather, food gathering, planting, bird life, and the wider seasonal rhythm of te taiao.
Whāinga / planning ahead
Many kura use Matariki to ask: what have we learned, what matters now, and what do we hope to grow next?
Use local knowledge respectfully
- Ask what stories, practices, or star names are local to your rohe rather than assuming one national version fits every place.
- Notice the difference between public classroom introductions and deeper iwi or hapū knowledge that should be shared with care.
- When possible, anchor learning in local whenua, local seasons, and local relationships.
Observation and reflection scaffold
One thing I already know about Matariki is: ________________________________
One seasonal sign we notice in our place is: _____________________________
A local question I want to investigate is: ______________________________
One value I think Matariki teaches is: ________________________________
My Matariki response
Choose one response mode. You may write, draw, or combine both.
- A reflection about remembrance or gratitude
- A plan for something I want to grow this year
- An observation about the season in my rohe
- A respectful idea for how our class could mark Matariki
Alternative response option: record key words first, speak your idea to a partner, then write only the most important sentence.
Draw or map your thinking
Sketch a class celebration idea, a seasonal observation scene, or a visual map showing how Matariki connects stars, people, place, and planning.
Support, core, and stretch
Support
Use the checkbox list, talk through your ideas first, and complete only one sentence stem at a time so the task stays chunked and manageable.
Core
Complete the reflection scaffold and one written or drawn response showing how Matariki links to place, season, or community.
Stretch
Add a local comparison: how might Matariki be understood or practised differently in another rohe, kura, or whānau context?
Neurodiversity and inclusion note: offer oral rehearsal, visual planning, and alternative response modes before expecting a polished written paragraph.
Teach this tomorrow
Print or share
- One copy per learner
- Optional local photos, maramataka notes, or whānau prompts
Decide before class
- Whether the focus is reflection, local inquiry, or celebration planning
- How you will handle local variation respectfully
Good progress looks like
- Students talk about Matariki as a knowledge system, not a colouring theme
- Responses connect stars, season, and people with care
Natural continuation
- Move into navigation, ecological indicators, or local maramataka inquiry
- Adapt the task in Te Wānanga for a school Matariki sequence
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Social Sciences — Tikanga ā-Iwi
Level 3–4: Understand how Māori cultural practices, values, and whakapapa shape identity and community; recognise the significance of te Tiriti o Waitangi and the contribution of Māori culture to Aotearoa New Zealand's national identity.
Te Reo Māori — Language and Culture
Level 3–4: Use te reo Māori to express cultural concepts, identity, and relationships with accuracy and respect; understand the significance of Māori language as a taonga and its role in sustaining mātauranga Māori.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
This resource engages directly with te ao Māori as its subject — the values, practices, language, and worldview that have sustained Māori communities across centuries of challenge and change. Mātauranga Māori is not a supplement to this learning: it is the source. Students approaching this material are invited to engage with it not as outside observers studying a foreign culture, but as people in relationship with a living knowledge tradition that shapes the place they live, the language they may speak, and the obligations they carry as tāngata o Aotearoa — people of this land. That relationship calls for care, curiosity, and respect for knowledge-holders who carry what no textbook can fully contain.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
This handout is designed to be used alongside the broader unit resources available at Te Kete Ako handouts library. Related resources from the same unit are linked in the unit planner. All resources are provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.