Tawhirimatea: A Song for Matariki

Tāwhirimātea: A Song for Matariki is a song and a picture book based around Tāwhirimātea, the god of weather.

It meditates on the seasons and the magic of the universe – the wind, rain, sun, planting of seeds in the earth (Papatūānuku), the sky (Ranginui), the
tides, family (whānau), sharing of food from the land and sea, storytelling, and the passing of time (day into night) as represented by the Matariki star sisters that light up the sky each night. The song culminates in the lines, “our universe is an amazing nature show”
(repeated three times).

The song is sung first in English and then in te reo Māori. It is a reflection on the wonder of the universe, as witnessed at the time of Matariki, when the star cluster can be seen during the summer months in Aotearoa