Latest news with #KāiTahu
Scoop
18 hours ago
- Scoop
Mānawatia A Matariki - NZ Post Stamps Look To The Stars Ahead Of The Māori New Year
To acknowledge Matariki mā Puaka in 2025, the latest stamps from NZ Post are highlighting the importance of protecting Aotearoa New Zealand's dark skies. One of the world's most precious natural wonders, the spectacle of a clear night sky has fascinated humans for millennia. The position of stars helped to guide Polynesian navigators across the Pacific to Aotearoa New Zealand, and astronomy is one of the world's oldest natural sciences. 'We've been celebrating Matariki with stamps since 2008 and this year we're pleased to highlight six star constellations, including Matariki, the Southern Cross / Māhutonga, and Taurus / Te Kōkota, which can all be seen in our skies this winter,' NZ Post's Programme Manager Lynette Townsend says. Popular Takapō (Tekapo) based astro-tourism experience, Dark Sky Project features in this year's collection. Combining science, Māori cultural perspectives, and awe-inspiring celestial views, Dark Sky Project offers internationally sought-after stargazing and astronomy experiences. 'Dark Sky Project plays a part in making sure New Zealanders have access to astronomy, and to the universally appealing hobby of stargazing. We were delighted to learn that it is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. This stamp collection is one way to acknowledge the positive impact astrotourism has had at deepening our understanding of the stars,' she says. Featuring an image of the Milky Way captured in the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, the stamps were developed in partnership with Dark Sky Project General Manager and Kāi Tahu astronomer Victoria Campbell. Campbell was a member of the Matariki Advisory Group charged with the task of providing recommendations to the Government on the establishment of the Matariki Public Holiday. She says the constellations and star clusters featured on the stamps will all be visible in our pre-dawn skies this winter, with the best views available from Dark Sky Reserves, such as the one at Takapō. 'We're very proud to share the beauty of our dark skies through this limited stamp collection. The stars we have highlighted are significant to us as descendants of navigators who applied their celestial knowledge to their every day lives. 'We hope collectors will use this opportunity to engage with the names and patterns of the stars in our skies and through that connection be more aware of the importance of good lighting practices, so future generations can enjoy the stars at home like we can in Takapō.' The stamps can be pre-ordered on the NZ Post Collectables website in advance of the issue date of 19 June 2025. They will also be available to purchase directly from Dark Sky Project in Takapō, and New Zealand's highest post box located in the Astro Café at the top of Mount John. Comprised of Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park and the Mackenzie Basin, Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve was the third Dark Sky Reserve to be recognised in the world, and Aotearoa New Zealand's first. It is also the largest dark sky reserve in the Southern Hemisphere. Thanks to the reserve, the dark skies of the Mackenzie region are mostly free of light pollution, which is created by the use of artificial light at night. Light pollution impairs our ability to see the universe through the naked eye Find out more about Dark Sky Project at Formerly known as Earth and Sky, Dark Sky Project is a joint venture between Ngāi Tahu Tourism and co-founders Graeme Murray and Hide Ozawa. Visit to see the stamp collection. More information about the stamps: To acknowledge Matariki, the Māori New Year, this stamp sheetlet highlights Aotearoa New Zealand's dark skies with a stunning image from Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. $2.90 Southern Cross/Māhutonga - The Southern Cross constellation, a national symbol of Aotearoa New Zealand, is visible year-round in the southern hemisphere sky. It has long been used for navigation, helping to locate the South Celestial Pole when used alongside other stars. Across the world, cultures have shared stories about the stars; in Aotearoa, some iwi (tribes) viewed the Southern Cross as the anchor of a great sky canoe. $2.90 Taurus/Te Kōkota - The naming and interpretation of stars vary across cultures. In Aotearoa, the Hyades open star cluster—part of the constellation Taurus—and the adjacent bright orange star Taumata-kuku (Aldebaran) are known collectively as Te Kōkota. $2.90 Orion's belt & sword/ Tautoru & Te Kakau - Orion was named by the ancient Greeks, who saw the seven bright stars as a giant. A line of three stars forms his belt, from which his sword hangs. In Aotearoa, Orion's Belt is known as Tautoru and, when including Te Kakau—another row of stars extending at an angle -is often referred to as a pot with a handle. $2.90 Aries/Pipiri - Pipiri marks the first month of the maramataka, a traditional Māori lunisolar calendar, and is associated with the stars Hamal and Sharatan in the constellation Aries. Aries is an ancient star group that has historically been depicted as a sheep or ram by many early cultures. Its modern name is derived from the Greek and Roman myth of the Golden Fleece. $4.00 Winter Triangle - This asterism—a recognizable pattern of stars—includes Betelgeuse, Procyon, and Sirius (Takurua), one of the brightest stars in the sky. Known as the Winter Triangle in the northern hemisphere, this group of stars is visible during summer in the southern hemisphere. Thanks to its bright stars, it's an excellent starting point for those new to stargazing. $4.70 Matariki - Matariki is the Māori name for the star cluster also known as Pleiades, Subaru or the seven sisters. The Māori New Year is celebrated annually across Aotearoa New Zealand when, in mid-winter, the Matariki star cluster rises.
Scoop
19 hours ago
- Scoop
Mānawatia A Matariki - NZ Post Stamps Look To The Stars Ahead Of The Māori New Year
To acknowledge Matariki mā Puaka in 2025, the latest stamps from NZ Post are highlighting the importance of protecting Aotearoa New Zealand's dark skies. One of the world's most precious natural wonders, the spectacle of a clear night sky has fascinated humans for millennia. The position of stars helped to guide Polynesian navigators across the Pacific to Aotearoa New Zealand, and astronomy is one of the world's oldest natural sciences. 'We've been celebrating Matariki with stamps since 2008 and this year we're pleased to highlight six star constellations, including Matariki, the Southern Cross / Māhutonga, and Taurus / Te Kōkota, which can all be seen in our skies this winter,' NZ Post's Programme Manager Lynette Townsend says. Popular Takapō (Tekapo) based astro-tourism experience, Dark Sky Project features in this year's collection. Combining science, Māori cultural perspectives, and awe-inspiring celestial views, Dark Sky Project offers internationally sought-after stargazing and astronomy experiences. 'Dark Sky Project plays a part in making sure New Zealanders have access to astronomy, and to the universally appealing hobby of stargazing. We were delighted to learn that it is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. This stamp collection is one way to acknowledge the positive impact astrotourism has had at deepening our understanding of the stars,' she says. Featuring an image of the Milky Way captured in the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, the stamps were developed in partnership with Dark Sky Project General Manager and Kāi Tahu astronomer Victoria Campbell. Campbell was a member of the Matariki Advisory Group charged with the task of providing recommendations to the Government on the establishment of the Matariki Public Holiday. She says the constellations and star clusters featured on the stamps will all be visible in our pre-dawn skies this winter, with the best views available from Dark Sky Reserves, such as the one at Takapō. 'We're very proud to share the beauty of our dark skies through this limited stamp collection. The stars we have highlighted are significant to us as descendants of navigators who applied their celestial knowledge to their every day lives. 'We hope collectors will use this opportunity to engage with the names and patterns of the stars in our skies and through that connection be more aware of the importance of good lighting practices, so future generations can enjoy the stars at home like we can in Takapō.' The stamps can be pre-ordered on the NZ Post Collectables website in advance of the issue date of 19 June 2025. They will also be available to purchase directly from Dark Sky Project in Takapō, and New Zealand's highest post box located in the Astro Café at the top of Mount John. Comprised of Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park and the Mackenzie Basin, Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve was the third Dark Sky Reserve to be recognised in the world, and Aotearoa New Zealand's first. It is also the largest dark sky reserve in the Southern Hemisphere. Thanks to the reserve, the dark skies of the Mackenzie region are mostly free of light pollution, which is created by the use of artificial light at night. Light pollution impairs our ability to see the universe through the naked eye Find out more about Dark Sky Project at Formerly known as Earth and Sky, Dark Sky Project is a joint venture between Ngāi Tahu Tourism and co-founders Graeme Murray and Hide Ozawa. Visit to see the stamp collection. More information about the stamps: To acknowledge Matariki, the Māori New Year, this stamp sheetlet highlights Aotearoa New Zealand's dark skies with a stunning image from Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. $2.90 Southern Cross/Māhutonga - The Southern Cross constellation, a national symbol of Aotearoa New Zealand, is visible year-round in the southern hemisphere sky. It has long been used for navigation, helping to locate the South Celestial Pole when used alongside other stars. Across the world, cultures have shared stories about the stars; in Aotearoa, some iwi (tribes) viewed the Southern Cross as the anchor of a great sky canoe. $2.90 Taurus/Te Kōkota - The naming and interpretation of stars vary across cultures. In Aotearoa, the Hyades open star cluster—part of the constellation Taurus—and the adjacent bright orange star Taumata-kuku (Aldebaran) are known collectively as Te Kōkota. $2.90 Orion's belt & sword/ Tautoru & Te Kakau - Orion was named by the ancient Greeks, who saw the seven bright stars as a giant. A line of three stars forms his belt, from which his sword hangs. In Aotearoa, Orion's Belt is known as Tautoru and, when including Te Kakau—another row of stars extending at an angle -is often referred to as a pot with a handle. $2.90 Aries/Pipiri - Pipiri marks the first month of the maramataka, a traditional Māori lunisolar calendar, and is associated with the stars Hamal and Sharatan in the constellation Aries. Aries is an ancient star group that has historically been depicted as a sheep or ram by many early cultures. Its modern name is derived from the Greek and Roman myth of the Golden Fleece. $4.00 Winter Triangle - This asterism—a recognizable pattern of stars—includes Betelgeuse, Procyon, and Sirius (Takurua), one of the brightest stars in the sky. Known as the Winter Triangle in the northern hemisphere, this group of stars is visible during summer in the southern hemisphere. Thanks to its bright stars, it's an excellent starting point for those new to stargazing. $4.70 Matariki - Matariki is the Māori name for the star cluster also known as Pleiades, Subaru or the seven sisters. The Māori New Year is celebrated annually across Aotearoa New Zealand when, in mid-winter, the Matariki star cluster rises.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Doffing his cap to history
My oldest boy wanted to please his dad when he was young and one way to his dad's heart was through rugby. My husband never enjoyed actually playing rugby, but he had a love for the game. He would get the kids up in the early hours of the morning to watch a game or go to a game at the stadium, there was regular screaming at the screen about a losing Highlanders side, poor refereeing, or legendary All Black tries. It was a culture in our house, but it was also a wider family culture too. I was raised as if rugby were a religion, watching it but being schooled on the fact that the art of rugby surged through our veins and that we have an extensive history and ownership with the game. My great uncle was a bit of a rugby legend and, in fact, we have others who come from Ōtākou, clearly we were made for the game. Thomas Rangiwahia Ellison was born in 1866 and was to become one of New Zealand's most famous rugby sons. About 1881 he was introduced to rugby football by his cousins at Ōtākou — Jack Taiaroa, who was to become a prominent member of the first New Zealand rugby team in 1884, and Riki Taiaroa, who later joined Ellison in the touring Native team of 1888-89. In 1882, Tom was sent to Te Aute College, Hawke's Bay, where he played for the senior team in 1883 and 1884. His first international honours came with the New Zealand Native Football Team, a professional side, which toured Great Britain and Australia in 1888-89. Initially a forward and later a wing, Ellison played half-back for Pōneke in 1891, and from that experience developed the wing-forward, or flanker, position to block interference with passing from the base of the scrum. The system was quickly adopted throughout New Zealand; it was superseded by the eight-man scrum in 1932. In 1893, Ellison captained the first official New Zealand team and he proposed that the uniform be a black jersey with silver fern monogram — this was similar to the old Native team uniform — and in 1901 it became the familiar All Black uniform. In 1902 he published The Art of Rugby Football , an early rugby coaching manual. Eventually, Ellison took a keen interest in Kāi Tahu land claims: he was appointed an interpreter in the Native Land Court in 1886 and stood three times for the Southern Maori seat in Parliament. From 1891 he worked as a solicitor and, from 1902, as a barrister in the Wellington law firm Brandon, Hislop and Johnston, he was admitted to the Bar, one of the first Māori to attain that distinction. He became a familiar figure commuting to work from Eastbourne in one of the first motor cars seen in Wellington. Ellison died a young man in 1904 and was buried at Ōtākou. I grew up with these legendary stories about our great rugby players and our family have produced many more talented players. It's probably a fair call to say, it's an Ellison thing — he momo. So, circling back to my son, a descendant of all that rugby whakapapa, who, like most Kiwi lads, started playing rugby when he was 5. I will confess that I was fairly unenthusiastic about the whole thing. Cold Saturdays, injuries, intense sideline parenting and the perceived culture of it all just didn't flick my switch. However, I made all efforts to support him. The thing is, my son wasn't a natural rugby player. He struggled to keep up, he wasn't overly interested in the game and, like the rest of my children, he really doesn't have that competitive killer attitude that is required on the field ... I mean, I was just happy he was getting a run. However, apart from one year that we put him into football, he played rugby, year in, year out. Ultimately, he just loved the brotherhood, the team camaraderie, the banter, the laughs and he really got a kick out of his team winning and his team-mates doing well. I think perhaps the coaches got a laugh, too, out of coaching my son, as he was pretty entertaining. He went away to his Māori boys boarding school in the North Island a few years ago now, as he is in his last year. He continued to play the game at school, and I just assumed it was expected that he did. He naturally got taller and leaned out, he trained a bit at school and kept in it. He took on basketball too and loves the game but still played rugby. He said his life would flash before him on a Saturday as massive boys with killer attitudes would come running at him. In some regards, I am glad I have never had to watch this rugby warfare with my beautiful boy in the middle of it. Through all his rugby trials and tribulations, he said the one thing he wanted was to make his dad proud and get that 1st XV cap, and he has done it. In two weeks' time he gets his wish, presented with his cap by his pōua (grandfather) at his school. So, with that, my son gets to acknowledge the journey in the game, the injuries, the wins, the losses, the growth, his brotherhood, his tūpuna, his dad and, finally, his cousin Taiaroa, also a descendant of these Ōtākou rugby legends, whose amazing rugby talent has been halted by cancer. This is my son's salute.
Otago Daily Times
28-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Exposing the truth of the beautiful green
Twenty-five years after a mid-career retrospective exhibition at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, leading New Zealand photographer Anne Noble returns with a collaborative exhibition depicting the degraded state of fresh water across Kāi Tahu tribal lands. She talks to Rebecca Fox about the role photography can have in public discourse. The signs say it all, 40 of them lined up precisely on a wall - ''warning toxic algae'', ''anglers and picnickers beware'', ''water may contain pollutants'' repeated over and over. Each one has been photographed by leading contemporary photographer Anne Noble as she journeyed around Canterbury and Southland with members of Kāi Tahu to capture the state of waterways, past and present, on Kāi Tahu tribal lands. No stranger to following the journey of rivers - Noble first came to national recognition for her work on the Whanganui River in the 1980s - she was engaged by Te Kura Taka Pini to create an extensive photographic archive of the waterways illustrating not only the devastation of waterways but also the resilience of whānau, hapū, and iwi striving to restore wai Māori, uphold rakatirataka, and protect mahika kai practices. The photos were used to support Kāi Tahu's statement of claim before the High Court in Christchurch seeking recognition of Kāi Tahu rakatirataka (authority) over wai Māori, fresh water, within their takiwā (area). ''Rivers are in my blood. The Whanganui project was a very personal story but that's a lifetime away. Today I'm much more interested in the politics of our relationship to water. There is a conflict between seeing and using rivers as an economic resource and how this impacts on rivers as living entities that are not separate from human and cultural needs and relationships. My hope is that this exhibition can provide a means to think about these things.'' It was important for Noble to clarify her role in the project as a non mana whenua contributor before she took up the project but she believes photography is a good medium to connect people to places they all inhabit, particularly those affected by various forces of degradation such as the increasing impacts on our waterways of intensive agriculture, forestry, and especially the intensification of dairy, in the South, in Canterbury and Southland. ''Photography is a great medium to insert itself into public discourse. If what the Ngai Tahu claim is wanting to establish is rakatirataka and partnership in managing the health and wellbeing of our waterways, then representation of the impacts of degradation and the impacts on people and their relationships to water is telling everybody's story. So we've worked together on a project that is supporting the Ngāi Tahu Statement of Claim - but it is also a story about water for all of us.''But she is quick to point out, this is not her story to tell. ''So, I've been there, [with] the privilege of seeing with people - through their eyes as it were - to bring something into the public domain. It is important to me that the stories that accompany the photographs are not mine.'' She has done so in her own way with ''Unutai e! Unutai e!'' at Dunedin Public Art Gallery by providing the photographs, while members of Kāi Tahu, who were plaintiffs in the High Court case, do the talking through their portraits and their stories of waterway degradation. For Noble it has highlighted how images of the landscape can often hide a lie. ''People will drive through New Zealand and they'll see the endless beautiful green. Underpinning the green is another story. The landscapes in this exhibition tell a different story. Yes, and it is not a pretty one.'' Close-ups of algae blooms and pivot irrigators contrast with aerial views of river and estuary mouths running green. ''These show degradation of water at what are often long-standing traditional mahinga kai sites. So these images point to the impact on mahinga kai customs and practices. All over Canterbury, all over Southland, you can see giant pivot irrigators. Reshaping the landscape. It's all about turning it green. ''And yet the impact of over-abstraction of water is something that you see evidence of when you visit the estuaries. And there's not enough flow in the river to turn the stones and clean the river.'' A portrait of Upoko o Kāi Te Ruahikihiki ki Ōtākou Edward Ellison sits beside one of a dry, empty paddock - what was Lake Tatawai, 24 hectares of water where the people who lived at the Māori Kāik (Maitapapa) and Ōtākou settlements would have sought out moulting ducks, īnaka (whitebait) and tuna (eels). ''You're up to your knees in mud these days, whereas back in the day you could see to the bottom through clear columns of water to gravelly lake and riverbeds,'' he says in the exhibition label. She created a collection of signs warning of toxic algae blooms and polluted waters and hung many of them together on one wall. Many were in traditional mahina kai sites. ''This collection of 40 signs is my idea of a landscape. Each of them is a beautiful little individual landscape that just happens to have a toxic water warning sign in the middle of it. All together they are a jolting reminder of what we are doing to our environment.'' It is her intention for the exhibition to offer an opportunity to stop, encounter the people, the places and, most importantly, the issues that underpin the Ngai Tahu claim for rakatiraka over wai Māori. ''Bring your attention really to things that are overlooked or not seen. The artistry or the concept is to make something that's inherently ugly incredibly beautiful. And in your then experience of something that is beautiful, yet toxic, is a state of confusion that amplifies something.'' She points to a close-up image of water flowing over rocks. Look closer and you can see algae growth. ''That would kill your dog.'' ''The role of art is to unsettle and to challenge as well as to uplift. And beauty can be very unsettling. If you look closely at some of these pictures - they are beautiful - but they are of very ugly things. When you've been conned, really, by beauty - then you have to go away and think about it, especially when you realise the reality being presented is not beautiful at all.'' Look at Lake Ellesmere (Te Waihora), Noble, who has an Arts Foundation Laureate Award and a New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to photography, says. ''It's a famous lake, very important to Ngāi Tahu. What is shown here are the state of three of the many rivers that flow into Te Waihora that all run through intensive dairy country. This lake is ranked as one of the worst in the world in terms of the state of its water.'' Another photograph shows a person lifting a whitebait net out of the river, basically covered in liquid cow manure. Given the impact for Kāi Tahu on mahinga kai customs and practices, Noble has given species such as tuna and inanga status and mana by creating ''portraits'' of them. Alongside are some ''little stories'' of the science being done to protect species such as a tuna monitoring project at Lake Whakatipu which is trying to understand the impacts on the important traditional food source. It seemed fitting for portraits of tuna that are abstract and ambiguous to end the exhibition, she says. Being able to amplify the surfaces of the tuna and turn them into a kind of ''magic moment'' is something only photography can do. ''Their skins are glorious, they're beautifully slithery, but it's like light and flashes of light in the water and it's just turning that into something a little more abstract.'' Some of the waterway images have been taken on a drone - a first and ''great adventure'' for Noble, who was excited by the ability it gave her to capture the water from a height even if she was petrified she was going to crash it. ''You get a sense of kind of the scale of things. And when light catches water from above you can see the world in the way that you can't as a short person with feet on the ground.'' She is happy to use any tool ''that is the right tool'' to capture the image she is after. Some images take hours to capture and others she does not know she has captured until she develops them. ''Photographs can be magical accidents. Sometimes you find you have much more in an image than what you actually saw at the time. And then when you recognise that you try and make sense of it and make sure that magic is there for others to find in the picture that you've created.'' The project also came along as Noble retired from teaching photography at Massey University College of Creative Arts, Toi Rauwharangi giving her the opportunity to focus full-time on her own work. ''I'm not afraid of big projects.'' The archive is a continuation of Noble's interest in environmental issues from her Antarctic series, mostly developed between 2001 and 2014, to her more recent work In the company of bees and her ongoing project In a Forest Dark . TO SEE ''Unutai e! Unutai e!'', Kāi Tahu & Anne Noble, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Saturday, May 31. 10.30am: Panel Discussion: Ki Uta Ki Tai: What is the future for our wai? 1pm: Exhibition Tour: Join Ōtākou whānau, Te Kura Taka Pini, and members of the Unutai e! Unutai e! working group on a tour of the exhibition 2.30pm: Performance: He Waka Kōtuia
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Council To Consider Community Feedback On District's Draft Climate & Biodiversity Plan
Queenstown Lakes District Councillors are this Thursday being asked to approve the district's draft Climate & Biodiversity Plan 2025-2028 so it can be shared for community feedback. The plan was developed in partnership with Kāi Tahu, the Climate Reference Group, and local partner organisations. It is a key strategic document and an important, high-profile action plan for both the Council, its partners, and the community. If approved, the draft plan will open for community feedback for four weeks starting on Friday 30 May. Residents, businesses, and community groups will be encouraged to provide their thoughts on the district's proposed approach to addressing climate change and biodiversity loss over the next three years. Building on the foundations of the two previous three-year plans, the 2025-2028 draft outlines a comprehensive set of actions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing native biodiversity, and increasing community resilience to climate impacts. Key initiatives in the draft plan include delivering major environmental projects such as Project Tohu, implementing emissions-reduction projects at Council facilities, and integrating climate considerations into Council decision-making and business processes. It also focuses on supporting the transformation of our local energy system and strengthening support for community resilience and food system projects. The document details a total of 51 climate and biodiversity actions, across seven outcome areas, that are either Council-led or partnership-driven. These actions are organised across seven outcome areas that reflect the district's priorities for environmental protection, climate resilience, and low-emissions transformation. Together, they provide a clear framework for coordinated and strategic action over the next three years. Subject to approval at this Thursday's Council meeting in Arrowtown, community engagement for the draft Climate & Biodiversity plan will start 30 May 2025 and run until 27 June 2025. After engagement has been completed the final updated plan is expected to be presented to a full Council meeting for adoption in late July. At the 29 May Council meeting, Councillors will also be asked to approve two related draft environmental initiatives to go to the community for consultation: the Waste Management and Minimisation Bylaw, and Te Tapunui Queenstown Hill Forestry Plan. The draft Climate & Biodiversity Plan and the opportunity to make a submission will be available at Further information can also be found at
