Flax flower weaving, Maori kite making and kapa haka performances are just a few of the activities planned to celebrate Mataraki (Maori New Year) at your local library.
A children’s Matariki creative writing competition invites nine-year-olds to 17-year-olds to share their family stories. Tall tales should be the kind of family folklore handed down through generations and can be written in te reo Maori or English.
Prizes include gift cards, shopping vouchers and 3D movie passes.
For the little ones, the award-winning Wriggle and Rhyme sessions will have a Matariki theme, as will many of the regular storytimes across the region, where stories will be read in te reo and tell the story of the Maori New Year.
Other exciting events throughout the month include:
a morning tea for local elders at Otara Library
a Maori music workshop and performance with Whirimako Black at Tupu Youth Library
lunchtime family history sessions at the Central City Library
a concert and activities featuring a storytime and kapa haka performance in Warkworth.
Auckland Libraries holds more than 50,000 books and items of interest in its Maori collection, with dedicated staff to provide special knowledge and advice.