In Wellington, New Zealand, the Maori New Year was celebrated for the first time as a public holiday. New Zealanders gathered in the capital to celebrate the New Year with fireworks. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern attended the celebrations earlier this morning, and she said the Maori New Year will now be celebrated as a public holiday. Ardern also expressed hope that the Maori New Year and public holiday will help promote the tourism industry as a unique New Zealand holiday experience to be marketed to the world.
According to the indigenous Maori culture of New Zealand, each year between June and July, a star cluster known as the Pleiades appears and the reunion of the star cluster known as Matariki marks the beginning of a new calendar year.