Five classic Kiwi films to get you into the Matariki mood this holiday
Starting with the obvious, this drama film set around the holiday itself follows a chain of events in the South Auckland suburb of Ōtara leading up to Matariki, with the Māori New Year acting as a motif throughout. In the spirit of US-produced epics such as Magnolia and Crash, Michael Bennett's Matariki draws on human emotion and features a diverse cast who all give authentic and honest performances of their realistic (sometimes grim, sometimes darkly comedic) storylines. Multiple languages are used throughout and the script highlights the redeeming power of friendship and the importance of community after a random act of violence. With music by Don McGlashan and cinematography by regular Sir Peter Jackson collaborator Alun Bollinger, this raw display is sure to get people thinking about what Matariki means to them.
Whale Rider (2002, dir. Niki Caro)
Keisha Castle-Hughes in Whale Rider, an adaptation of the Witi Ihimaera novel of the same name.
Whānau acceptance and ancestral ties lie at the heart of Niki Caro's groundbreaking adaptation of the Witi Ihimaera novel Whale Rider, which itself was based on the Māori mythological tales of Paikea. As a young girl longs to lead her tribe and make her family proud, she also strives to connect with her cultural heritage and her community's ancestral ties – a poignantly prominent story when thinking about it in the context of Matariki. Paikea Apirana, played by a young Keisha Castle-Hughes, is one of the best Kiwi characters to appear on-screen and stands as an empowering symbol for young wāhine everywhere. Meanwhile, Leon Narbey's beautiful cinematography expertly captures the beauty and ruggedness of Aotearoa's land, sea and sky (which also coincidentally make up some of the stars in the Matariki cluster).
We Were Dangerous (2024, dir. Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu)
Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu's film We Were Dangerous tells a fictional story about a rebellious trio of girls railing against the system in 1950s New Zealand. Photo / 818
Sometimes, acceptance and a sense of community can be found in the most unlikely of places. The delinquent girls' camp in We Were Dangerous is one of those places. While the main themes of rallying against patriarchy and oppression are significant in this film, it also highlights the importance of embracing diversity and sticking together to overcome challenges. A mix of dry humour and drama, the film is anchored by strong performances from the lead actors and a cracking script by Maddie Dai. Make sure you watch out for a particularly great scene where a long-standing te reo Māori language game is played, because it looks so fun, you might even want to give it a go yourself this Matariki.
Boy (2010, dir. Taika Waititi)
Taika Waititi's film Boy won the Best Feature award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Quite possibly the funniest Kiwi movie ever made and also the film that showed the world Taika Waititi was a force to be reckoned with, Boy is the perfect Matariki watch because it doesn't shy away from hard truths on family and togetherness. The simple story about a young Māori boy from Gisborne trying to reconnect with his vagabond father struck a chord with audiences across the motu upon its release and has since become a cult classic. Much of the humour is tinged with sadness, and the themes of belonging and new beginnings run deep while still coming across as natural in the story thanks to anchored performances by Waititi and James Rolleston. Complete with a great soundtrack, whip-smart dialogue and a very memorable Michael Jackson dance, Boy is a great example of a film that takes the audience along for the ride and leaves them feeling like part of the family when they are done.
The Dead Lands (2014, dir. Toa Fraser)
Lawrence Makoare as The Warrior in the New Zealand movie The Dead Lands.
While brutal, bloody violence and skull-crushing isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think Matariki, The Dead Lands is still, at its heart, a story about finding your place and following in the footsteps of ancestors. Shot entirely in te reo Māori, it not only depicts New Zealand's history from a tribal warrior's perspective but also dives deep into traditional mythology and explores cultural identity in a way rarely seen on screen. Intense scenes of tribal warfare come across as rather realistic, as do the depictions of traditional Māori culture and tradition. There's even a pivotal scene featuring the lead character, Hongi, looking up at the stars while seeking guidance, something that many people across the motu will be doing this Matariki season.
Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald's entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke's Bay Today.
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NZ Herald
10 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Matariki 2025: Art light trail showcasing local creators snakes through Auckland city centre
The trail begins on Upper Queen St on the corner of Mayoral Drive, leading into Myers Park along a stairway designed by Tessa Harris (Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki) with patterns depicting pātiki to discover the captivating light and sounds of Waimahara. Waimahara asks people to remember Te Waihorotiu, the stream that flows quietly beneath the underpass. Commissioned by Auckland Council, this permanent multi-sensory artwork – by Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Manu), technology experts IION, skilled Māori composers and creatives – is just the beginning. Te Ara Rama Matariki Light Trail. Photo / Glenn Iness Step 2: Tūrama and Taurima Upon returning to Queen St, Tūrama will begin to unfold. A series of art installations tells ancient stories of place as you walk towards the sea. First, participants will see Horotiu, a 9m kaitiaki who symbolically guards the ancestral river, greeting the waharoa in Aotea Square, by celebrated artist Selwyn Murupaenga. This area carries the historic ngā tapuwae o ngā mana o te whenua, who thrived in this space for hundreds of years. Turama Kaitiaki. Manu Korokī will be next. Inspired by the works of revered ringa whao Fred Graham, flocks of manu take flight on opposite sides of Queen St with an accompanying audio track mimicking their birdsong. Kāhu Kōrako will be visible high in the crosswires, representing an older kāhu whose plumage has lost the dark colouring of youth and whose feathers have turned grey. Lights, music, and more are on offer in Auckland this Matariki. Photo / Auckland Council Turn left into the historic Strand Arcade, and Taurima will shine among the trees on Elliot St. With symbolism of pātaka kai suspended above the street in quirky fluoro-neon art created by Lissy Robinson-Cole (Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine), Rudi Robinson-Cole (Waikato, Ngāruahine, Ngāti Pāoa, Te Arawa), Ataahua Papa (Ngāti Koroki, Kahukura, Ngāti Mahuta), and Angus Muir Design, you will be immersed in the history of this space and place. Taurima. Photo / Jay Farnwoth Heading back to Queen St along Victoria St, look back along this unique viewshaft to the Sky Tower and you will see a bespoke Māori art projected on to the city's biggest canvas. While walking towards the harbour, a Kawau Tikitiki will be suspended in flight above the street, acknowledging this bird's revered constancy of purpose, resolute nature and speed of action. Upon reaching the original foreshore between Shortland and Fort Sts, participants will walk beneath the majestic Te Wehenga, where illuminated imagery will evolve from whenua to moana. The role of waharoa in Māori architectural tradition marks the junction of realms, a transition point where something changes; where you will feel you are leaving something behind and progressing into something new. Tūrama was created by Graham Tipene, Ataahua Papa and Angus Muir Design, with support from Auckland Council and the city centre targeted rate. Tūrama Te Wehenga. Photo / Jay Farnworth Step 3: Tūhono The downtown section of the Matariki light trail begins at Te Komititanga, the square that features permanent works of whāriki where Queen St meets the sea. Tūhono is an all-new trail of light installations and lightboxes linking Te Kōmititanga along Galway St to Takutai Square and Māhuhu ki te Rangi Park. Artist Arama Tamariki-Enua – Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Tumu-te-Varovaro (Rarotonga), Ara'ura (Aitutaki) – has blended tradition with contemporary design. He invigorates ancestral rhythms and motifs with modern arrangements of vibrant colours, introducing an immersive journey for all to experience. In Takutai Square, Tamariki-Enua worked with Angus Muir and Catherine Ellis on a light and sound installation using patterns that reference tukutuku panels and carving in Tumutumuwhena, with the repetition of the patterns forming the star-like shapes of the Matariki cluster. Matariki trails include light installations, kapa haka, and street markets in the city centre. An accompanying soundscape, developed in collaboration with Peter Hobbs, brings back sounds of the foreshore and forest before the modern city was founded. The works are projected on to Te Rou Kai, the public artwork made up of a pop-jet fountain and 16 sculptural stones by an older generation of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei artists. Tamariki-Enua's creation encourages reflection on what is now and what was then. The Tūhono light projections in Takutai Square will play every evening from Thursday, June 19, to Thursday, July 10, with a seven-minute light and sound sequence every quarter-hour from 5pm until 10pm. Tūhono takes the form of a metaphoric waka, drawing a visual and spiritual line toward Takaparawhau, the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei ancestral stronghold where Tumutumuwhenua, their whare tupuna, proudly stands. Immerse yourself in modern mahi toi (art) and a lightshow within Takutai Square, stroll among the illuminated mature trees of Beach Rd, marvel at a 10-storey laser projection on to the Nesuto building and fun light designs within Te Tōangaroa, including Te Mātahi o te Tau by Tyrone Ohia and Angus Muir Design. Tūhono and these new downtown activations for Matariki are brought to Matariki ki te Manawa in the city centre by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and Britomart Group, with support from Auckland Council and the city centre targeted rate. Te Hui Ahurei o Matariki – Matariki Festival Day Aucklanders can experience kapa haka, waiata, carving demonstrations, raranga (weaving) activations, kite making, stories, art and an insight into special waterways at the Botanic Gardens as part of Matariki Festival Day. Festivities will begin at 10am and last until 4pm. Auckland Transport has put on a free park and ride service for the festival. The main departure point will be the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1185 Alfriston Rd, Alfriston. If the church carpark reaches capacity, additional parking is available directly across the road at Alfriston College, 540 Porchester Rd. Buses will run continuously on a loop between 9.45am and 4.45pm. The last bus to leave the garden will be at 4.45pm, and the garden gates will lock at 5.30pm.
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
Kōkā puts Māori storytelling, healing, and Matariki at the heart of its journey
Kōkā, directed by Kath Akuhata-Brown (Ngāti Porou), follows the journey of two wāhine - a kuia named Hamo (Hinetu Dell) and a troubled young woman, Jo (Darneen Christian)- who form an 'unlikely' bond on a road trip across Aotearoa. Photo: Kirsty Griffin A new feature film weaving together Māori storytelling, intergenerational healing, and the significance of Matariki has hit the big screens today, offering Aotearoa a moving experience grounded in te ao Māori. Kōkā , directed by Kath Akuhata-Brown (Ngāti Porou), follows the journey of two wāhine - a kuia named Hamo and a troubled young woman, Jo - who form an unlikely bond on a road trip across Aotearoa. Described by Akuhata-Brown as "a road movie, but a journey that is both physical and metaphysical", the film platforms both mātauranga Māori and the Ngāti Porou dialect. "I genuinely wanted to create something that showed the world how beautiful being Māori is to me," Akuhata-Brown said. Akuhata-Brown first wrote Kōkā nearly 20 years ago but said now was the perfect time to share it. "I wanted the world to understand that our existence is so deeply connected to our land and our tīpuna. This doesn't make us a people who live in the past, but a vibrant, connected nation." The film's release coincides with Matariki, a season of remembrance, renewal, and wānanga. It's also a time that brought Akuhata-Brown closer to mātauranga Māori, she said. "It wasn't until making the film that I started understanding Matariki's significance to me personally. "My dad lived by Matariki principles... it was just his way of life. It was all he knew. Everything was alive: pounamu, the stars, the whenua, the awa - all of it was a living entity. "That's why it became important to me. I started understanding that more during the process of making Kōkā ." Kath Akuhata-Brown (Ngāti Porou), wrote Kōkā nearly 20 years ago, but said now was the perfect time to share it. Photo: Supplied Kōkā stood in deliberate contrast to earlier portrayals of Māori in films like Once Were Warriors , Akuhata-Brown said. Released in 1994 and directed by Lee Tamahori, Once Were Warriors follows an urban Māori whānau living in South Auckland and their problems with poverty, domestic violence, and alcoholism, caused by intergenerational trauma, racism, and systemic land loss. "The intention was to bring elements of healing into the work, to ensure that when people come away from it, they're not traumatised. Because I am so sick of traumatising films," Akuhata-Brown said. She said the current political climate made it more important than ever to share Māori stories. "I think if you look through history, the greatest storytellers emerge in the darkest periods. Not just in te ao Māori, but across the world. "Artists are the soul of the nation. And our souls need some help right now." Hinetu Dell (Ngāti Porou), plays the lead character Hamo in Kōkā, she said it was "humbling" to be part of a kaupapa that uplifted her people. Photo: Kirsty Griffin Hinetu Dell (Ngāti Porou), who plays the character Hamo, said it was "humbling" to be part of a kaupapa that uplifted her people. "It's really important for those who live in isolated areas or isolated spaces to see their kind on the screen. It's something they can aspire to and achieve." She said stepping into the role of Hamo, a kuia deeply rooted in tikanga and whakapapa, felt natural. "A lot of the experiences that Hamo was going through, I had already experienced in my own life. I was very comfortable with the Māori protocols." Kōkā also explored intergenerational trauma and how the restoration of mauri begins through service, connection, and care. "Hamo serves this girl by doing all the work, catching the kai that's important to young women. Hamo does karakia, and during that whole process, Jo, who has come into this place bruised and battered, is healed," Dell said. Jo's character was inspired by a real person Akuhata-Brown once met, a young Māori man who had been institutionalised, released into the community, and left to "survive on his own". "He lived under the Grafton Bridge and used to read the newspaper to see who had passed away, then turn up to their tangi," she said. "He had no filters, it was quite full on. People were nervous around him. I thought to myself, he's not long for this world. Three years later, his body was found in a ditch." Akuhata-Brown said she couldn't stop thinking about him. "My Jo in the film is that Joe. It's to honour him and his life when no one else did." She said the character served as a reminder of the realities some Māori still face. "All I know is that someone's life has been given that's the truth." Darneen Christian (Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu, Pitcairn Island), plays Jo, the disconnected and troubled kōtiro in Kōkā. Photo: Damien Nikora / graded and delivered by Kirsty Griffin Darneen Christian (Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu, Pitcairn Island), who plays Jo, said the production was both challenging and rewarding. "I love that it's touching people who don't know their whakapapa and their culture. It's touching a lot of things people are starting to finally be passionate about and trying to work on." Like her character, Christian said she had been distant from her Māori whakapapa. But being on set helped her reconnect. "I teared up at one of our rehearsals and said I can't communicate with you in the language. Everyone was so supportive, I realised I wasn't going to be looked down on." The film's alignment with Matariki made the experience more meaningful. "It's a time to release and start again... to leave what has happened behind and welcome what's new." Dell said the journey of understanding Matariki had also evolved for her. "Matariki is a word that's very familiar to me in terms of haka and waiata," Dell said. "Prior to that, we didn't really understand what Matariki really meant until today. The research in terms of Matariki has been instrumental in developing us as a people to go forward." Actor Te Kohe Tuhaka (Ngāti Porou, Tūhoe), pictured on the right, plays Marcus in the film, a police officer who acts as a protector to Hamo. Photo: Supplied Kōkā was the first feature film to be shot predominantly in the Ngāti Porou dialect. The dialogue was developed with local kaumātua, language experts, and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Porou. Akuhata-Brown said the language spanned generations, from modern-day reo to expressions once used by Māori Battalion soldiers. "The language of women is different to the language of men and there's even a Ngāti Porou language of love," she said. "It's a full range of te reo and it was incredibly important to the filmmaking team that the language create a tapestry of beauty and gorgeousness. I haven't dared touch it." Actor Te Kohe Tuhaka (Ngāti Porou, Tūhoe), known widely in Aotearoa for his role in The Dead Lands , plays Marcus in the film, a police officer who acts as a protector to Hamo. He said Kōkā' s use of reo is empowering but "normal." "I grew up in a period where I just thought everybody spoke te reo Māori, and English was second, everybody's second language. Which is not the case. Case in point to the current government. "Everything about te ao Māori is a very normalised thing in my life. That is not to say that I am an expert in any of it. I just know what I know, and I've grown how I've grown." Tuhaka said an important part of the film is exploring the universal challenges Māori still face today. "We touch on poverty, we touch on low socio-economic spaces, we touch on the role of the police in the community, we look at the journey of Māori returning back to their maunga, their awa, our versions of manaakitanga. "The landscape is another massive character and touchstone for us in Kōkā ." He said all of these practices and kaupapa exist now. "To be able to shine a bit of Matariki light, me Puanga, ki runga i ēnei tū āhuatanga, it feels fitting as we head towards our release in Matariki weekend." Kōkā follows a healing journey of two wāhine - a kuia named Hamo and a troubled young woman, Jo - who form an 'unlikely' bond on a road trip across Aotearoa. Photo: Supplied / Kōkā trailer Filming took place across Te Wai Pounamu, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, and the East Cape - but it was Akuhata-Brown's awa and maunga that anchored the story. "It couldn't be told anywhere else," she said. The title Kōkā is specific to Ngāti Porou and is a shortened form of Waiapu Kōkā Huhua, referring to the ancestral Waiapu River. It can be translated to "matriarch" or "mother of us all". "It reflects all those female aspects - not just one," Akuhata-Brown said. "Along the Waiapu riverbanks are marae often led by chiefly women, nurturing all the people who live there." "The river's flow mirrors the story structure, with all rivers joining the central character Hamo on her journey out to sea," she said. Akuhata-Brown says the time is "now" for more Māori storytelling. Photo: Supplied All of the film's actors offered words of encouragement to rangatahi, wāhine, and Māori wanting to enter the film industry. Tuhaka said it was important for aspiring creatives to understand their purpose. "You have to really know why. Why this industry? Why this craft?" he said. "We're lucky here in Aotearoa that it's not foreign to dabble in a whole raft of things, in front of the camera, behind the camera. But it's about understanding the 'why' because you'll get more noes than yeses, and the why is what gets you through the no's and lets you really celebrate the yeses," Tuhaka said. "Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui. "If this is something you want, go for it. Make mistakes, stand up, and carry on," Dell said. Christian said the time was right for more Māori voices in film. "This is the time. The pot's boiling for the right time to start jumping in." Kōkā premieres across Aotearoa this Matariki, Friday, 20 June.
NZ Herald
11 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Kōkā: Spiritual road-trip movie hits some potholes
Hinetu Dell and Darneen Christian: On a cultural journey. Photo / Supplied Kōkā, directed by Kath Akuhata-Brown, is in cinemas now. Released in time for Matariki, Kōkā is the tale of Jo, a young wahine Māori whose life is going off the rails, and Hamo, the kuia whose history drives her to help the girl get back on track. The predominantly
