Matariki Around the World, A Cluster of Stars

A fascinating look at Matariki in New Zealand and around the world.

The Matariki constellation (or Pleiades) is known by many different names and is seen and celebrated by many cultures around the world. This beautifully illustrated book features 18 stories: 9 of which highlight the Maori Matariki stars, while the others reference the stories about this constellation from different cultures, from the Pacific Islands to the Americas, Europe and Africa. This beautifully illustrated collection of Matariki stories will be a resource to treasure in homes, schools and libraries across Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider world.

About the Authors and Illustrator

Rangi Matamua is a New Zealand indigenous studies and Māori cultural astronomy academic of Tūhoe descent. He is the first Māori to win a Prime Minister’s Science Prize and is a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. Rangi holds extensive knowledge about our skies, star clusters, galaxies and planets. He is a fifth-generation Māori astronomer (tohunga kōkōrangi) on a mission to disseminate star lore left to him by his tīpuna, Te Kōkau and Rāwiri Te Kōkau. “Knowledge that is not shared is not knowledge,” his grandfather told him.

Miriama Kamo (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga) is an award-winning journalist. She is the anchor of TVNZ’s flagship current affairs programme Sunday and has worked on many of TVNZ’s key programmes, including Māori current affairs programme Marae and 1 News. She is also a keen writer. Her first children’s book with Scholastic was the popular The Stolen Stars of Matariki. “Our relationship to Matariki demonstrates the power that mātauranga Māori has in informing our survival over hundreds of years and shaping our society today,” she says.

Isobel (Izzy) Joy Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungungu ki te Wairoa, Kai Tahu) is a freelance graphic artist and illustrator with a passion for the natural world and te ao Māori. She specialises in symbolism and metaphor, and her work is influenced by mythology and folk tales, botanical illustration and life experience. “I’ve always had an interest in stories that are passed through generations, how they evolve, and where there are similarities and differences across cultures,”she says.