FILM COLUMN | ISSUE SEVEM | MATARIKI Written by Ricky Lai (he/him) | @rickthelai on IG & Letterboxd | Columnist The pūrākau about the formation of Matariki tells us that its stars were formed by an act of grief and anger by Tāwhirimātea, the god of wind and weather. To match, I’ve dusted off three essential films on the subject of wind. The Wind (Victor Sjöström, 1928) Checks out. If there was ever a more comprehensive depiction of wind in film, it’d have to be called Wind 2.

HOROSCOPE | ISSUE SEVEN | MATARIKI Written by László Reynolds (he/him) | @laszloreynolds | Contributing Columnist Aries You can have a holiday now (even if you can’t leave your neighbourhood, or even the house); a battle is over. The war, however, continues. You already knew there’s nothing outside the war. Rejoice in the return of libido, or you may even be finding it for the first time. Taurus A new wound (or a new cycle on an old wound) has been opening in the past few wee

CULTURE | ISSUE SEVEN | MATARIKI Written by Ronik Shah (he/him) | @reowithronzie | Contributing Writer I ahu mai taku mōhio ki te whetū, arā ko Matariki, i a au e noho ana i Ingarangi i te tau 2020. I te whakarongo ahau ki te terenga tuatahi ake o Taringa, nā Te Whare Wānanaga o Aotearoa. Ko Tākuta Rangi Mātāmua te kaikōrero manuhiri. I whakamōhio mai ia, mai rā anō whai ai ōna tūpuna i ngā putunga, i ngā wehenga o ngā whetū hei tohu o ngā wahanga o te tau. Ko te putunga o Ma

COMIC | ISSUE SEVEN | MATARIKI Created by LoverLotus @withatouchofameteor

SPILL THE TEA WITH TASHI | COLUMN | ISSUE 7 | MATARIKI Written & illustrated by Tashi Donnelly (she/her) | @tashi_rd | Editor-in-Chief Scroll to the bottom of this webpage to submit your own question for Tashi to answer: https://www.debatemag.com/spill-the-tea-submissions Q: Dear Tashi, I feel bad writing this, but I have a very irritating classmate. They talk over other people a lot and also talk over the lecturer, interrupting them and disrupting the discussion. I have neve

"Have you Eaten Yet?" COLUMN | ISSUE SEVEN | MATARIKI Written by y Priscilla Zhang (she/her) | @p.zhangxy | Columnist Illustrations by Sophia He (she/her) | @meoskyan.art | Graphic Designer Every time my mother calls from China, she asks the same question within the first two minutes: “Have you eaten yet?” For many Chinese people, this question carries a weight that has very little to do with hunger. Conversations happen around dining tables. Friendships begin over shared m

ARTS | ISSUE SEVEN | MATARIKI Written by Tohu Harris (she/her) | @tohu._.harris | @tohu_wairua_aroha_ | Contributing Writer Project Introduction This practice-led research project explores my identity grounded by my whakapapa Māori and connection to God. I seek to find harmony between these two worlds, culture and religion, establishing wairua as the common thread that binds them both. I navigate the complexities of this multi-dimensional state of being through painting and

TE AO MĀORI | ISSUE SEVEN | MATARIKI Written by AUT MĀORI and Breana-Ann Kaponga @autmaori and Breana-Ann Kaponga @kxpnga Kua haehae ngā hihi o MatarikiThe rays of Matariki are spread This Matariki artwork was commissioned by the Pou Māori team at AUT. Each tau hōu (new year), nine artworks are commissioned to celebrate the rising of Matariki. Each artwork is downloadable and accompanied by a scannable QR code containing information about the star cluster. They encourage you

Different, Unusual, Abnormal, Changed. INTERVIEW / TE AO MĀORI | ISSUE SEVEN | MATARIKI A kōrero with Emily Lyall (she/her) @teaoemily on her programme Rerekē as the 2026 Artspace Aotearoa curatorial intern. Interviewed by Skye Lunson-Storey (they/them) | Arts, Culture, Te Ao Māori Editor The concept of Rerekē encourages artists to be "bold, weird, and different." Expanding on three toi Māori categories, what does being rerekē mean to you personally, and how has that idea sha

Written by Piremina Ngapera (she/her) | @piremina | Contributing Writer Illustration by Maia Staples-Fletcher (she/her) | @maia_sfletch | Contributing Artist Long before calendars were fixed on walls and screens, my tiipuna looked to the eastern horizon before dawn, where Matariki returned with the midwinter sky. Its rising marks the close of one year and the beginning of another. Yet to call it simply "the Maaori New Year" feels incomplete. Across Aotearoa, not every iwi wa

TE AO MĀORI | ISSUE SEVEN | MATARIKI Written by Taigaga (Jamal) Rerecich (he/him) | @417mal | Contributing Writer Matariki 2026 carries the theme Herenga Waka - For Everyone, and the question that theme invites, if we are being honest about the political moment it lands in, is whose "everyone" is being offered and on what terms. The public holiday passed into law in 2022 without the support of National or ACT, both of whom now govern. In the same parliamentary term, those par

FEATURE / TE AO MĀORI | ISSUE SEVEN | MATARIKI Written by Ivy Lyden-Hancy (she/her/ia | Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Wairere, Tūkorehe, Samoa (Falefā), Tonga (Vava’u) | @tekaraipiture | Contributing Writer Illustration by Maia Staples-Fletcher (she/her) | @maia_sfletch | Contributing Artist I see my family in the stars, from Hokianga to Waikato, we are the stars of Matariki. Our waka wairua as we travel through time. Stuck in it, in the nostalgia, my tupuna, my nanas, my papas,

Affordable Matariki Events Around Tāmaki Makaurau ARawhetū A free augmented reality art trail through the CBD featuring virtual sculptures inspired by the stars of Matariki and Puanga. Perfect for an evening wander with friends and an excuse to explore the city. Until: 21 July | Free More info: aucklandlive.co.nz He Ara Hīkoi Take a guided walk through Auckland's Matariki installations and learn the stories behind the stars and artworks lighting up the city. Until: 19 July

NEWS | ISSUE SEVEN | MATARIKI Written by Liam Hansen (they/them) | @liamhanse.n | Associate Editor The Auckland University of Technology Students Association is currently taking nominations for its Student Representative Council, the governing body representing various faculties, cultural groups, and communities across AUT campuses while directing the operations and priorities of AUTSA in their services for students. There are 22 roles sitting within the SRC, broken into subc

EDITORIAL | ISSUE SEVEN | MATARIKI Written by Tashi Donnelly (she/her) | @tashi_rd | Editor Nau mai, haere mai ki Debate. Appearing in the early morning skies of midwinter, Matariki has long served as a time for remembrance, celebration, and reflection. It is an opportunity to honour those who have passed, give thanks for the present, and look ahead to the future. The cluster itself, part of the Taurus constellation, consists of nine stars: Tipuānuku, Tipuārangi, Waitī, Waitā