Flying south for the winter - K879A
Antarctica New Zealand was proud to host Professor Rangi Mātāmua FRSNZ ONZM (Tūhoe; Massey University) and his mentee Mataia Keepa (Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Arawa), as they travelled to the ice during winter 2025 to study the Antarctic skies.
Professor Mātāmua became a household name in New Zealand in 2021, when he led the campaign to make Matariki (the Māori New Year) a public holiday. He has since won the title of Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa | New Zealander of the Year and was made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2024, among many other notable achievements.
Their research project was called ‘Kura hau awatea, kura hau pō, Southern Skies’ – K879A. Solar halo displays are frequent in Antarctica; Māori know this as ‘kura hau awatea’ for the halo around the sun and the halo around the moon as ‘kura hau pō’.
Professor Mātāmua and Mr Keepa travelled to Antarctica in winter, before the summer field season started, so they could observe the night and twilight skies. They worked to understand the connections between Māori astronomical knowledge and te taiao (the environment) of Antarctica. Their observations will support ongoing understanding of the motions of the Sun, Moon, and stars from a Southern Hemisphere perspective.
Tangata Māori (Māori people) have a long association with Antarctica and both astronomers whakapapa (trace their genealogy) directly to historic Antarctic adventurers Tamarereti and Hui te Rangiora. They drew on these connections while in Antarctica, recalling and revisiting the icons’ journeys.
The research team were accompanied by a documentary crew from PutiPuti Productions (Miriama Kamo and Julia Sartorio’s new venture). They have produced a stunning, one-hour film on both the research project and the personal journeys of the duo.
The documentary has been included in the Doc Edge Festival 2026 and premieres in Auckland on Friday, 10 July. A slightly shorter version of the film will screen on TV One at 9am 12 July, TVNZ+, and www.rnz/video from 13 July.