Matariki July Newsletter 2023
Kia Ora,
Welcome to the July Biome Trust newsletter, as we welcome the new energy of Matariki - Māori New Year, a significant event which marks the rising of the Pleiades star cluster.
It is a time for reflection, celebration, and connecting with the land, symbolizing new beginnings and the start of a new agricultural year.
Tupuānuku is one of nine stars seen within the cluster of Matariki. Connected to kai (food) and rongoā (traditional medicines) that are grown within the soil, or harvested from the ground - this star reminds us of the importance of nurturing and caring for the natural world and the sustenance that it offers us.
As the depths of winter envelop us with excess rain, strong winds, and occasional power outages, we are reminded of the vital importance of developing resilience within our local communities. These challenging conditions underscore the need for self-sufficiency, and a focus on strengthening our local economies, particularly in terms of agricultural food production, and in light of Tupuānuku - our connection to the soil.
Biome Trust is dedicated to empowering local growers and gardeners, providing resources to establish and expand soil quality, local gardens and forest corridors for future generations to thrive.
Thank you for walking with us on this journey.
Ngā mihi aroha,
- Biome Trust
Giftee Updates
SpaceBase Co-founder Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom is a guest speaker at SpaceTide 2023 - the rise of the space economy. Learn more
Learning Environment continues their efforts for setting rat, stoat, and wild cat traps as part of their strategy to regenerate native forests and waterways. See video
Happen Films successfully launched their latest 40min film Ben & bEartha, now available on Vimeo to wat ch on demand. Watch here
Kōanga are supplying a range of Heritage Fruit trees for delivery around Aotearoa including peaches, grapes, apples & berries. Learn more
Common Unity in the Hutt Valley are celebrating Matariki this year with a shared kai & kōrero in the maara [garden] on Sat 22nd July. Learn more
Mangaroa Farms harvests their first round of Broccoli for the weekly Vege Bags at the market gardens. See post
Agrarian Trust (Supporting Land Access For Next Generation Farmers) is fundraising to purchase the 3.5-acre Lick Run Farm in urban Roanoke, Virginia. Learn more
For The Wild interviews Abena Offeh-Gyimah about connections between ancestral foods, the soil, seeds, and sustaining ancestral foodways. Listen
Additional News
Dr Jessica Hutchings Te Waka Kai Ora advocate & Hua Parakore kai grower spoke recently at Univesity of Waikato on Trans-Pacific Partnership & Indigenous trade. Listen to the interview
Donna Kerridge continues to call the Crown to account on proposed changes to Therapeutic Products Bill and it’s implications on Rongoā Māori practitioners. Watch video
The Matariki Constellation is commemorated by Te Rā Aro ki Matariki 2023, which happens on Friday, July 14, this year. Early in the morning, just before dawn, is the optimum time to view the Matariki cluster. Learn more
Professor Rangi Matamua (Tūhoe) is a pioneering Māori scholar who has revolutionised understandings of Māori astronomy, and in particular Matariki. Learn more
“Soil, not oil, holds the future for humanity.”
– Vandana Shiva
