Matariki at EcoMatters

About this Event

Bring the whānau and celebrate Matariki by connecting with te taiao! Come along and take part in free wānanga and workshops about environmental care, kaitiakitanga and mātauranga Māori.

There’ll be free fun activities for the tamariki, or you can turn your hand to potting up a baby native plant to take home, and connect over kai and coffee at this community event.

Explore our organic teaching gardens and check out the native plants at our community nursery. Try out a bike or get cycling advice at our Bike Hub or visit our EcoMatters Store.

WORKSHOPS AND ACTIVITIES

Native Nursery Potting
10am-2pm
Free
The idea of planting and new life is a strong theme throughout Matariki celebrations so you can pot up your own baby native plant to take home.

Live Lightly
10am-2pm
Live Lightly encourages people to take simple everyday actions to live a sustainable life. Calculate your individual carbon footprint using the FutureFit tool, and discover how much you could save with a few simple changes. You’ll leave the stall feeling inspired and empowered!

For the tamariki
10am-2pm
The very talented Ngametua from Little Red Face Painting will be offering Matariki themed face painting. Join Harry from Barefooted NZ to explore and learn about the ngahere and the creatures that live there or fly a manu wahine (traditional Māori kite) to celebrate Matariki. Get crafty with Tines, by hand sewing stars out of rescued fabric (10am to 11.30am). The finished stars make a great hanging ornament, key chain or luggage tag, sensory toy or anything else you can imagine!

EcoMatters Bike Hub
10am-2pm
Our Bike Hub will be open, where you can browse our range of used bikes, new parts and accessories, get free help with basic bike maintenance, local routes, maps and cycling advice and try out our novelty bikes.

EcoMatters Store
10am-2pm
Browse the great range of products that will support your sustainable lifestyle at the EcoMatters Store.  All proceeds from store sales help fund EcoMatters projects.

Berries and Bulbs – Edible Street Planting
10.30am-11.30am
Koha entry; bookings required and numbers limited
Help plant berries and edible bulbs and learn about this no-dig garden experiment on our food forest street edge.

Te Iwa o Matariki – The Nine Stars of Matariki
11.45am-12.45pm
Numbers limited, pre-book to save your space
Learn about the significance of Matariki in te ao Māori, the signs and symbols leading up to the rise of Matariki, and discover ways we can celebrate Matariki.

Kotuitanga / Olympic Park Guided Walk
1-1.30pm, meet at the nursery potting activity
The Waitahurangi (Avondale) and Whau Awa (streams) meet here at Olympic Park. Join us for a guided walk to discover the diversity found in and near the stream. The traditional name of the park is Kotuitanga, as it was the place where waka were woven together for transporting over land (portage) to the Manukau Harbour. Learn more about efforts underway to restore this local treasure to its former health.

Raranga Weaving Workshop
1-3pm
$20; bookings required and numbers limited
Join Drina Paratene who will teach you a very simple raranga technique, along with the appropriate tikanga when harvesting harakeke.

MUSIC

Rob Wadmore, a singer-songwriter who regularly plays folk rock around Auckland on his 12 string guitar, will be performing his own material and covers of the music he loves, including 60s tunes, traditional folk and blues.

KAI

A range of food and drink options will be available to purchase. Fill your plate with a variety of homemade spicy falafels that are complemented with their homemade sauces from Tasty As. Get your coffee or hot chocolate fix from the enthusiastic superhero baristas of Hero Coffee. Keep cool with ice blocks and cold drinks from our EcoMatters Store.

PARE KORE

Please help us make this a zero waste event by bringing your water bottle and reusable coffee mug. Even better, bring your own reusable plate/container and cutlery too.

GETTING HERE

We recommend coming by bike, on foot or by public transport as parking is limited.

By bus or train
We are less than 10 minutes walk from the New Lynn Transport Centre, and some bus routes stop even closer. Plan your journey at at.govt.nz.

By bike
Plenty of bike parking available on site.

WEATHER

This event will go ahead rain or shine, except in case of extreme weather. If the event has to be cancelled, we will post notices on Facebook and this webpage.

Join the Facebook event for more updates.

KIA ORA AND THANKS

Matariki at EcoMatters is supported by the Local Activation Fund Programme, administered by Auckland Unlimited on behalf of the New Zealand Government.