Matariki Ahuka Nui - Dawn Ceremony

Tūhura Otago Museum, Dunedin City Council, Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, and Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou invite the community to gather for Matariki Ahuka Nui, a free dawn ceremony marking the Māori New Year. Held on the Tūhura Otago Museum Reserve, the ceremony will include karakia to farewell the past year and welcome the new one, a whakamaumahara to remember loved ones who have passed, and a whakamāramataka sharing insight into Puaka, Matariki, and the changing season.

Attendees are warmly invited to bring a printed photo of someone they wish to remember and may speak their loved one’s name aloud during the ceremony. After the dawn gathering, guests can share kai at Precinct Café, enjoy a kapa haka performance by He Waka Kōtuia, and continue the day with the Community Fun Day from 10am.