PUAKA MATARIKI

Tēnā koutou e ngā whānau o Kawana. Greetings to our Kavanagh College families.

For centuries people across the world have observed the rising and setting of stars as indicators of seasonal change. As the days grow shorter and the weather colder, there are two stars that tell us that change is upon us.

Late May - early June is when the Māori New Year is celebrated with the star cluster Matariki or Pleiades rising in the north-eastern pre-dawn horizon. From our Dunedin skies however, Matariki is not yet visible due to our location in southern Aotearoa-New Zealand. To herald the new year in this part of the land, Māori observed a star called Puaka (or Puanga). When Puaka is suspended here in the South we know it is a time to prepare for the seasonal change.

Puaka or Rigel is found on the Orion constellation (Tautoro in Māori) and is classified as a blue super giant. At the present time, you can see this beautiful star in the pre-dawn eastern sky (above Forsyth Barr stadium). This colossal constituent is the brightest star on Orion's Belt and is 772.51 light years away from earth and has 85,000 times the luminosity of the Te Rā (Sun).

As a school community who are about to commence a new beginning, may God's blessings and the energy of changing seasons give us the strength to be positive and support those students and families who need it.

Mā te Atua e manaaki - God Bless.