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December 28, 2025
Rediscovering Māori Skies: Dr Pauline Harris on Tātai Arorangi
Waatea Team
Posted On December 28, 2025
In 2025, one of the uplifting stories about Māori knowledge and cultural revitalisation comes from Paakiwaha – a Radio Waatea series where Māori experts share insights into te ao Māori.
On 16 June, Dr Pauline Harris (Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Rakaipaka and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa) spoke with passion and clarity about Māori astronomy – tātai arorangi – and how our ancestors used the stars to guide waka, mark seasons, and live in harmony with the environment.
For Māori navigators and tohunga, the stars, sun, moon and planets were not distant lights, but part of an integrated system of observation, whakapapa and practical knowledge. Celestial bodies informed everything from planting and harvesting cycles to ocean navigation across Te Moana‑nui‑a‑Kiwa.
Dr Harris’s kōrero reminds us that this knowledge was sophisticated, deeply Māori, and grounded in our own science – long before Western instruments were introduced. Today, the revival of tātai arorangi is inspiring new generations to reconnect with traditional knowledge and to appreciate how cultural understanding and environmental science can work together.
She also highlighted the importance of events like Matariki – the Pleiades rising – as a time to honour ancestors, reflect, and plan ahead, anchoring cultural practice in both past and present.
This episode of Paakiwaha isn’t just about looking up at the night sky – it’s about reclaiming knowledge, identity, and pride in Māori ways of understanding the world. It’s a powerful example of how mātauranga Māori continues to shape how we see ourselves and our place in nature in 2025.
Listen to the full interview with Dr Pauline Harris here:
https://waateanews.com/2025/06/16/paakiwaha-pauline-harris/ Waatea News
Ngā mihi nui ki a Dr Harris for sharing the brilliance of our skies and for encouraging whānau, tamariki and rangatahi to reconnect with the stars – and with the knowledge of tūpuna that still guides us today.
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