Under The Stars 2025

Under the Stars is an annual exhibition celebrating Aotearoa’s national holiday, Matariki. This exhibition is open to all Rotorua-based artists, amateur or professional, to submit their artworks about Matariki. This exhibition will run throughout June & July in Maumahara, Cottage & Mosaic galleries. A special event to celebrate the holiday will take place on Friday 20th June.

What’s the story? Matariki is the Māori New Year, a time to reflect and be thankful. Its name is a shortened form of Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea (the eyes of the god Tāwhirimātea), as Tāwhirimātea was so enraged by his parents, Papatūānuku and Ranginui, being separated that he tore out his eyes and threw them to the sky. This formed the constellation Matariki, or the Pleiades. The story varies within iwi, but the commonly accepted version includes 9 stars, with the largest star, Matariki, being the mother and guardian of her 8 daughters.