Mānawatia a Matariki me Puanga - July School Holiday Programme

Discover the wonders of Matariki and Puanga while learning about tikanga. Plant a seed for Puanga, cosy up for stories and waiata, unleash your creativity with whetū-inspired art, or explore the stars through Virtual Reality.

You can visit our event calendar to see the full schedule of events over the holidays, or read on to check out the list of events below and join us to create wonderful memories with our friends and whānau.

Join us at the library to celebrate Puanga and plant something tasty to add to your māra kai (food garden) when spring comes. Learn a little about Puanga and its place in our skies, then try your hand at making a seedling pot out of newspaper and plant some seeds to take home.

Many thanks to our friends at Berhampore Nursery for providing potting mix for this programme.

As potting mix will be used during this event, those attending may prefer to wear face masks.

For ages 5+ with their caregivers.

• Johnsonville | Waitohi – Monday 8 July, 2-3pm
• Miramar | Motu-kairangi – Wednesday 10 July, 2.30-3.30pm
• Karori | Te Māhanga – Friday 12 July, 2-3pm
• Tawa | Te Takapū o Patukawenga – Thursday 18 July, 10.30-11.30am
• Island Bay Community Centre – Thursday 18 July, 2-3pm

Star Art

Come along to the library to learn a little bit about Matariki and Puanga, before letting your creativity take flight! Our librarians will guide you through making some Matariki and Puanga inspired star crafts to bring some sparkle into the winter nights.

For tamariki aged 5+ with their caregivers.

• Island Bay | Tapu Te Ranga – Monday 8 July, 11am-12noon
• Te Awe
  • Tuesday 9 July, 10.30-11.30am
  • Wednesday 10 July, 10.30-11.30am
  • Tuesday 16 July, 2-3pm
  • Thursday 18 July, 2-3pm
• Johnsonville | Waitohi – Thursday 11 July, 10.30-11.30am
• Kilbirnie | Te Awa-a-Taia
  • Thursday 11 July, 11am-12noon
  • Monday 15 July, 11am-12noon
• Tawa | Te Takapū o Patukawenga – Saturday 13 July, 2-3pm
• Miramar | Motu-kairangi – Wednesday 17 July, 2.30-3.30pm

LEGO® Creations

Let’s build – let’s explore – let’s create! Come along to the library to create your LEGO® masterpiece. These sessions all feature special Matariki-themed activities as we celebrate this festive time with our friends and whānau.

For tamariki aged 5+ with their caregivers.

• Te Awe
  • Wednesday 10 July, 2-3pm
  • Tuesday 16 July, 10.30-11.30am
• Johnsonville | Waitohi – Monday 15 July, 2-3pm
• Island Bay Community Centre – Tuesday 16 July, 1.30-2.30pm
• Tawa | Te Takapū o Patukawenga – Wednesday 17 July, 10.30-11.30am

Stop Motion Workshop

Join us at the library for a crash course in how to create a stop motion movie. Use a library device to recreate a Matariki-inspired clip using LEGO® and Stop Motion Studio!

Registrations are required as spaces are limited. Check out the events below for information about how to register.

For ages 8+:

• Johnsonville | Waitohi – Wednesday 10 July, 2-3pm
• Te Māhanga | Karori Library – Thursday 18 July, 2-3pm

For ages 9-15:

• Kilbirnie | Te Awa-a-Taia – Tuesday 9 July, 3-4pm
• Miramar | Motu-kairangi – Tuesday 16 July, 3-4pm

Nail Art

Come and join us for some Nail Art fun.

Paint your nails with glow-in-the-dark polish, or make them sparkle like stars with glitter polish.

Recommended for tamariki aged 5+ with their caregivers.

• Tawa | Te Takapū o Patukawenga – Tuesday 16 July, 2-3pm
• Johnsonville | Waitohi – Thursday 18 July, 10.30-11.30am

Crafting and LEGO®

Let your creativity run wild with LEGO® creations and Matariki-themed craft activities.​

These sessions feature special Matariki-themed activities as we celebrate this festive time with our friends and whānau. ​

Recommended for tamariki aged 5+ with their caregivers.

• Tawa Community Centre
  • Tuesday 9 July, 2-4pm
  • Tuesday 16 July, 2-4pm

Join us at the library for a cosy session of Matariki and Aotearoa themed stories and waiata. We’ll create an indoor campfire, you come along in your PJs ready for some Matariki tales and heart-warming bedtime stories and songs.

Recommended for tamariki aged 3+ with their caregivers.

• Tawa | Te Takapū o Patukawenga – Monday 8 July, 4.30-5pm
• Island Bay Community Centre – Thursday 11 July, 5-6pm
• Johnsonville | Waitohi – Wednesday 17 July, 5.30-6pm

Join us to explore the night skies using Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets.

This event is for rangitahi aged 10+. Those under 14 will need to be accompanied by a caregiver.

• Johnsonville | Waitohi – Tuesday 9 July, 2-pm Registration required.
• Wadestown | Ōtari – Wednesday 10 July, 2-3pm
• Linden Community Centre - Wednesday 17 July, 11am-12.30pm

Bring your whānau together this Matariki and join us for a family movie! Movies chosen will have a G or PG rating and are suitable for families with young children. Contact your library or community centre to find out which movie is screening.

This family-friendly event is suitable for children of all ages accompanied by their caregivers.

• Tawa Community Centre
  • Thursday 11 July, 2-3.30pm
  • Thursday 18 July, 2-3.30pm
• Johnsonville | Waitohi – Saturday 20 July, 2-3.30pm

Join us for fun and interactive stories, songs, and rhymes, and some fun craft activities. We will be enjoying stories and songs all about Matariki and the night sky, and making some Matariki and Puanga inspired star art.​

Recommended for children aged 3+ years with their caregivers.

• Raukawa Community Centre
  • Wednesday 10 July, 11am-12noon
  • Wednesday 17 July, 11am-12noon
• Brooklyn | Moe-rā – Monday 15 July, 2.30-3.30pm

Send your Ozobot journeying through the stars!​

Learn about our Ozobot coding robots in a Matariki themed tech session.​

For tamariki aged 5+ with their caregivers.

Registrations are required as spaces are limited. Check out the event below for information on how to register.

• Tawa | Te Takapū o Patukawenga – Tuesday 9 July, 2-3pm

Join us at the library to celebrate Matariki and Puanga by decorating rocks and other natural resources with themes of remembrance and anticipation for the future.

Registrations are required as spaces are limited. Check out the events below for information about how to register.

Recommended for tamariki aged 5+ with their caregivers.

• Karori | Te Māhanga – Thursday 11 July, 2-3pm

Many of our regular programmes will also be run as specially themed events.

A fun and educational programme for parents and carers to interact with their babies through songs and stories. Rhyme, rhythm, repetition and music are the building blocks of language for babies. At these special Matariki sessions we will be enjoying stories and songs all about Matariki and the night sky. Kuhu mai, join us!

Recommended for tamariki aged 0 – 2 years with their caregivers.

Visit our event calendar to find a session near you.

Whakarongo mai, tamariki mā, pākeke mā! Join us at your local whare pukapuka for a special bilingual storytime in celebration of Matariki me Puanga! He korero paki i te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā ēnei; these stories are in te reo Māori and English. All are welcome.

Recommended for tamariki aged 2+ with their caregivers.

Visit our event calendar to find a session near you.

Come along and celebrate Matariki me Puanga at your local whare pukapuka, or library, with Matariki-themed stories and waiata with our librarians.

He korero paki i te reo Pākehā ēnei; these stories are mainly in English, but we’re looking forward to sharing some kupu and waiata in te reo Māori as well. Our storytimes are family-friendly and fun for all ages.

Recommended for tamariki aged 2+ with their caregivers.

Visit our event calendar to find a session near you.

Nō reira, nau mai, haere mai ki ōu tātou whare pukapuka ki te whakanui i tēnēi wā tino hirahira! So come on down to your library to celebrate this special time of year!