In 2022 we will have two long weekends in June!

With the Government announcing a new public holiday, Aotearoa New Zealand will now have a public holiday to celebrate Matariki. Ngā Mata o te Ariki more commonly know as Matariki is constellation of stars, which can be seen in late June or early July signifies the beginning of a new year for many iwi.

In 2022 the first Matariki public holiday will be on Friday 24 June 2022. This is three weeks after the Queens Birthday public holiday on Monday 6 June 2022, which means New Zealanders will have two long weekends in June in 2022.

The date that the new Matariki public holiday falls will change every year as is determined by the appearance of the star cluster Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters in the sky. The New Zealand Government has appointed a Matariki Advisory Group to determine the exact date for the next thirty years, and it is expected the holiday will fall on a Friday or Monday each year.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced “It’s great to have the date locked in for next year. This will be a day to acknowledge our nation’s unique, shared identity, and the importance of tikanga Māori. It’s going to be something very special, and something uniquely New Zealand.”