Discover the Matariki Stars: Kono's Māori Business Shares Their Secrets

Matariki: A Time for Reflection and Connection

As the cooler seasons roll in, they bring a chance to pause, reflect, and reconnect. In Aotearoa, the winter season heralds Matariki, a significant time in te ao Māori to look back on the past year and cast our eyes toward the future. It’s a moment to honor the land we live on, acknowledge our blessings, and consider what we can give back. Matariki is a celebration of culture and people—our unique place in the world.

Matariki: The Māori New Year

Matariki is the name for the cluster of stars that grace our skies around June/July each year. The appearance of Matariki, along with another star marker, Puanga, signals the start of Te Tau Hou, the Māori New Year. For Kono, a Māori family-owned food and beverage business, Matariki offers another opportunity to ponder our connections to the natural world.

The Stars of Matariki

While some traditions speak of seven stars in the cluster, te ao Māori recognizes nine. Iwi have their own names for each star, but the most common are:

Tupu-ā-rangi: The guardian of forest wildlife, reminding us to care for our natural resources.
Ururangi: The watcher over wind, urging us to consider the strength and importance of the winds and be prepared for their impact.
Waipuna-ā-rangi: The star focused on rain and snow, highlighting the impact of human actions on the natural world and encouraging us to support the recovery of our earth.
Tupu-ā-nuku: The protector of edible plants, reminding those who cultivate the land to ensure the soil is healthy and to plant thoughtfully.
Waitī: The star that teaches us to learn from our freshwater environments and understand how they nourish and support us.
Waitā: The guardian of our oceans, reminding us to interact with them respectfully to ensure their continued support.
Pōhutukawa: The star associated with those who have passed on, reminding us of the natural cycle of life and death.
Hiwa-i-te-rangi: The youngest star, where we send our wishes for the coming year, associated with growth, opportunities, and hopes for a strong harvest.
Matariki: The star of hope, reflection, and our connection to the environment, also linked to the health and wellbeing of people.

Kono’s Commitment to Values

Kono’s brands include Tohu and Kono Wines, Hop Federation craft beer, Tutū Cider, Annies fruit snacks, Kono Seafood, and Yellow Brick Road. They produce food and beverages from the land and sea of their tūpuna for Aotearoa and beyond. Kono’s mission is to deliver value by nurturing people and the environment to create beautiful products from Aotearoa that the world wants.

In everything they do, Kono holds fast to core values:

Rangatiratanga: Excellence in all they do.
Manaakitanga: Rise by lifting others.
Whanaungatanga: Together they are more.
Kaitiakitanga: Duty, heritage, legacy.
Hihiritanga: Doing things better, doing better things.
Pono: They do as they say.

Kaitiakitanga and Sustainable Practices

Being good kaitiaki is top of mind when harvesting kaimoana for Kono Seafood and Yellow Brick Road. When growing the vines for their Kono and Tohu Wines, their winemakers work to ensure the soil and land remain healthy and continue to produce stunning wine.

Kono has a strong connection with Te Tauihu, at the top of Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island). This connection is referred to as tūrangawaewae—a place to stand. They understand that kaitiakitanga is essential to continue their kaupapa as food providers and kaitiaki for their land.

Matariki Traditions and Kono’s Future

Traditionally, Matariki follows the harvest, when whānau and hapū would have finished gathering food to fill the pātaka kai, and there was time to come together while giving the land time to rest before another cycle of growth begins.

Treating the land with respect, harvesting sustainably, and coming together to share kai with whānau and friends are all aspects of Matariki embraced by Kono. Each year at Matariki, the Kono team gathers to reflect on the past year and look forward to the coming year.

A focus for the future for Kono will be to continue developing a tikanga-led approach based on an intricate, holistic, and interconnected relationship with the natural world and its resources, and the application of regenerative Māori farming practices. It’s an ongoing journey of re-learning and discovery—and the stars of Matariki will help guide the way.

Matariki atua kaeke mai i te rangi e roa,
E whāngainga iho ki te mata o te tau e roa e.
Divine Matariki come forth from the far-off heaven,
Bestow the first fruits of the year upon us.