Letter to the Prime Minister

Today we wrote a letter to the Hon. Prime Minister of New Zealand, asking her to make Matariki a public holiday.

Dear Prime Minister,

We in Room 6 are learning about Matariki, the Maori New Year.
Through our surveys we have realised that many people do not know about
Matariki and a lot of young Maori children do not know much about it.

Can we make Matariki a public holiday because Aotearoa is a Maori land and
all people living in New Zealand should know about it.

During Matariki, we have to have whanau time. We could make bonfires,
pay respect to mother Earth, remember our ancestors and wish good fortune
to everyone. We fly kites and make special kai (food) to honour the cluster
of seven stars. It is also the time to harvest our crops.

This takes a lot of time and so we would appreciate if the New Moon Day
in the month of June is recognised as a public holiday.

Matariki should also be celebrated in the city so that people from other cultures,
who live in New Zealand, can learn about Matariki. It should be recognised
as an important New Zealand festival.

Kind Regards

Room 6

Tamaki Primary school.