Matariki Arrowtown Kā-Muriwai returns to Arrowtown on June 28 for its third year with a new image and a new name.

“The aim for 2024 is to bring Matariki back to its roots,” says Arrowtown Promotion and Business Association manager Nicky Busst.  “It started as a small Arrowtown Preschool community event a decade ago and has grown into a significant cultural and community celebration for the wider region.”

This year’s theme Bringing Whānau Together offers a refreshed programme with educational experiences in the Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall, Lakes District Museum and two entertainment stages in Buckingham Street.

“There will be storytelling, light projections, plentiful kai offerings, a wishing, memory and family tree and roaming entertainers and event hosts,” she says. 

“We are excited about the new direction being taken by main sponsor ACT, led by Watson & Wyatt director Ann Wyatt, who with her team is creating a spectacular celebration on New Zealand’s Matariki public holiday.”

Matariki Arrowtown Kā-Muriwai will run from 3:30pm until 8:30pm on Friday 28 June. The schedule is available at www.arrowtown.com and the event is free to attend.