Matariki herenga waka: A mooring place for all canoes

In celebration of Matariki in 2026, the national theme Matariki herenga waka – For everyone welcomes all people to reflect on the year passed and prepare for the new year ahead. While national celebrations are held in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland – known as ‘the gathering place of many canoes’ – Whakatere Ashburton is also a community of many ‘canoes’: diverse people and identities who call this place home.

For this special exhibition, Ashburton Intermediate School students decorated waka hourua to ‘sail’ through our space. Waka hourua were powerful double-hulled waka used for Pacific voyaging and migration to Aotearoa New Zealand. Here, they represent everyone coming from their own backgrounds, families, and cultures but travelling together as a community.