21/06/2022
South Pacific Loans will be closed on the 24th June in celebration of Matariki. The Manukau branch will be open on Saturday 25th June from 9am – 12pm. Both branches will resume normal business hours on Monday27th June.
Matariki celebrates the Maori New Year and has over 500 stars but only nine are visible to see with the naked eye. The star constellation is also known as Pleiades or the seven sisters in other cultures. The constellation rises once a year in mid-winter (late May or early June). The two meanings of Matariki both refer to stars: Mata-ariki (eyes of god) and Mata-riki (little eyes). The coming of Matariki symbolized the harvest festival where the Maori feasted on the crops they had prepared. Matariki is important because it also is the time to restart the Maori calendar.
The meaning of the nine stars are as follows –
1. Matariki - A reflection of times past, a symbol of hope and to encourage your connection to the environment and each other.
2. Pohutukawa – A symbol of the connection to the past and to the ancestors who have gone before us. Look upon the star and remember and acknowledge those who have led you on the path you are on.
3. Waiti – A symbol for all sources of fresh water and life within, it shines for nga awa, nga roto, nga kukuwai and nga waipuna.
4. Waita – symbolises the respect, protection of our coasts and oceans and the ocean dwellers for they are great taonga. Te Moana-nui-o-Kiwa and Te Tai-o-Rehua are filled with the wonder of plant life, whangote and ika.
5. Waipuna-a-rangi – the healthy cycle of the earth on the arrival of the rains and the mercy of the waters from the sky.
6. Tupu-a-nuku – symbolises the interest of all that grows in the ground that can be harvested, gathered and used for sustenance and to honour Papatuanuku with your plantings, plant only those that you need and tend them well.
7. Tupu-a-rangi – symbolises the link with trees, forests, fruits, berries, and birds and is associated with the realm of Tanemahuta. Our native forest dwellers – nga manu, nga mokomoko, nga ngarara, and nga kararehe need our protection as does the mighty rakau. Your role in their preservation is an act of kaitiaki.
8. Ururangi – closely tied with the mooods of Tawhirimatea and te whanau puhi. Hauraro, Tonga, Huauru, and Marangai can cool you on the day Tamanuitera is sending forth his intense heat and they can cause destruction and challenge when Tawhirimatea commands a storm.
9. Hiwa-i-te-rangi– the youngest star of the nine represents the hopes and aspirations to be carried forth to the coming year and along with Pohutukawa represents the status of sacred and tapu and sits apart from those stars that represent aspects of kai and sustenance. Tupu-a-rangi also represents your dreams, aspirations, and focus on those pathways that will lead you in those directions.