June 27, 2024
Matariki holiday part of nationhood
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Māori development minister Tama Potaka says the Matariki public holiday is now part of our nationhood.
When Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Bill was going through the selct committee stage, National proposed it should substitute an existing public holiday like Labour Day, while ACT opposed it entirety.
Two years later Mr Potaka says the holiday is a by Māori, for Māori event which everyone in Aotearoa can celebrate.
“My understanding is that we’ll continue to celebrate this, support this, and keep moving forward. Certainly from my perspective as Minister for Māori Development and Māori Crown relations, it’s something that are immensely tautoko, and it reinforces, again, Dale, that our reo, our culture, is fundamental and foundational to nationhood,” he says.