MATARIKI

This term we are focusing on the Matariki Star Waitī. We will do this through the Whitebait Connection Programme. 

Waitī is associated with all freshwater bodies and the food sources that are sustained by those waters.

The association Waitī and Matariki have with the creatures of fresh water is reflected in the proverb:

Ka kitea a Matariki ka rere te korokoro
When Matariki is seen, the lamprey migrates

The korokoro is the lamprey, and these aquatic creatures leave the ocean during the winter, migrating up freshwater streams to spawn. This process occurs when Waitī is seen in the morning sky.

If Waitī is dim when she rises, the food from freshwater sources will be scarce. If you can see her clearly, it will be bountiful.