Put Matariki 2022 in Your Calendar

Aotearoa/New Zealand's first Matariki holiday will take place on Friday, 24 June 2022.

The actual day will differ each year depending on the appearance of Pleiades in the sky, although it has been decided Matariki will be celebrated on a Friday to make a long weekend for New Zealanders. In 2023, Matariki will be celebrated on Friday, 14 July.

The Pleiades are a cluster of stars that rise in midwinter and mark the start of the Maori New Year. Some iwi name this time of the year Puanga, after a bright star that is above and to the right of the Matariki constellation.