‘Matariki Heri Kai’ – Nourishing our bodies and minds this Matariki

Hautapu celebrations with Healthy Families Hutt Valley and close whānau members.

E ko te hautapu, he rite ki te kai nā Matariki!

Matariki hunga nui, Matariki heri kai,

te mātahi o te tau. Tū mai Matariki e ara e!

Matariki is a time of reflection, celebration and preparation, and with this year’s theme being ‘Matariki Heri Kai’ which means the feast of Matariki, Healthy Families Hutt Valley have been inspired to think more deeply about improving access to, and the consumption of healthy kai, while reflecting and strengthening the team’s Te Ao Māori capability to enable true change for Te Awakairangi.

Healthy Families Hutt Valley believe that innovative practice to attain good health for Māori lies in cultural knowledge and concepts of wellbeing, allowing the ‘Matariki Heri Kai’ theme to refer to kai not only as food but as knowledge too.

Hosting a hautapu ceremony for the first time, the team were able to learn more about Matariki and the hautapu ceremony process, then bring their learnings to life, surrounded by whānau. Kai brings people together and is central to the experiences of whānau and community. Building on existing strengths and beliefs around kai can contribute to wellbeing.

“I’m so grateful to walk alongside the team in my first hautapu, big shoutout to Aidan and Ashleigh Crawford who helped us prepare our karakia and karanga in the months building up to the hautapu. It’s a shared responsibility to honour these traditions and support the growth of our collective knowledge. By engaging in these practices and telling our stories of change, we can help keep these traditions alive in our community and ensure that they are passed down to our mokopuna” says Healthy Families Hutt Valley team member Tearii Pilitati-Firmin.

Matariki is a special period for Kaiārahi Māori Aidan Crawford, and is a kaupapa that he holds dearly with his whānau.

"That experience that we all shared will be a moment that we will cherish for many years. I am personally thankful to my many mentors that have provided me with the tools and knowledge to share with the many environments that encompass me and mine" says Aidan.

“From an outside lens, this ceremony could look like it’s just 'another celebration'. However, systems change is inevitable, and I'm proud to be part of a work environment taking on the challenge to better understand Matariki and the practice of ‘Whāngai i te hautapu. From braving the nerves to prepare and partake in the formalities, to being vulnerable in front of peers and whānau and producing such quality. Our tamariki, our mokopuna have seen what is possible. This moment has only contributed to keeping the fires ablaze and roaring in our home environments” Aidan adds.

The team were reminded of the central role that kai plays in our lives and communities. A kai system that is physically, spiritually and socially nourishing is fundamental for upholding the mana and wellbeing of our communities.

You can watch the Healthy Families Hutt Valley hautapu highlights below, or on Facebook and Instagram.