Join us to celebrate Matariki

This month marks the start of the second annual Waikato District Matariki Festival, brought to you by the Waikato District Council and Waikato-Tainui.

Matariki is a small but distinctive cluster of stars which appears in the sky in June. In the Maaori calendar, Matariki is the start of the New Year and a time of harvest, sharing and celebration.

To celebrate the occasion there are a number of community-run events happening across the Waikato district throughout June and July.

Events include clay classes, lighting displays, an art exhibition, storytelling and a New Year’s Eve party.

For all the details on what’s happening and where, see Council’s website or contact us on 0800 492 452.

As part of the festival our libraries are holding a Matariki short story/comic competition, which is an opportunity for residents to celebrate Matariki by taking part in something fun and creative.

The competition is centred around the following seven words – all of which must be included in entries: Grow/Whakatupu(-ria), Celebrate/Whakanui, Star/Whetu, Dark/Po, Eyes/Karu, Feast/Hakari and Vehicle (eg car, train, boat)/Waka.

Winners will be decided by a panel of judges from around the district, with book vouchers up for grabs. There will also be a People’s Vote winner, which will be determined by a public vote on the Waikato District Council Facebook page, www.facebook.com/WaikatoDistrictCouncil

Whether you fancy yourself as an author, an artist or both – there’s a category for everyone to enter. More information and entry forms are available on our website www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/Waikato-District-Matariki-Festival.aspx or from any Waikato district library.

Entries opened Monday 5 May and close 5pm, 27 June 2014.

ENDS

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