Estimated 30,000 Gather To Celebrate Matariki At ARONUI Indigenous Arts Festival Drone Show

The ARONUI Indigenous Arts Festival (ARONUI) set the Rotorua Lakefront alight, drawing an estimated 10,000 spectators Thursday night and an incredible 20,000 Friday night from across the country to celebrate Matariki and witness Aotearoa New Zealand’s first Matariki drone show.

ARONUI, renowned for its vibrant celebration of Māori culture and indigenous arts, will be held again in September this year. Alongside this, was the innovative drone show being programmed to mark Matariki, the Māori New Year. As a result, the sky was transformed into a canvas of lights, creating stunning visuals that narrated the stories and traditions of Matariki and its connection to the taiao.

ARONUI founding festival director Cian Elyse White and one of the key collaborators on the show, says she’s blown away by the overwhelmingly positive response.

“Arts are a rongoā (a medicine) that connects all peoples. With what’s happening around the world right now, we need art as an avenue to express ourselves, to tell our stories, in our own backyard, on our terms. Art gives voice to the silenced, it protests quietly and profoundly, and brings inspiration in times of hopelessness.”

Matariki holds deep significance for the Māori community, but the now-established public holiday is for everyone that lives in or has a connection to Aotearoa.

It's a time to honour those who have passed by releasing their spirits to join the stars in the sky. It's also a moment for reflection, gratitude to the gods for the harvest, and sharing the season's bounty with loved ones.

The show beautifully captured these elements of Matariki, with drones forming shapes depicting Te Waka o Rangi releasing spirits into the heavens, and showcasing environmental symbols like pōhutukawa and puawānanga flowers, blue moki, and the koekoeā, also known as the Pacific long-tailed cuckoo.

Mataia Keepa, kaihaka, reo Māori/Matariki expert and one of the key artists involved in creating the show, says that events like this make Māori knowledge easily accessible.

“It’s important to make mātauranga Māori consumable and appealing, that’s what the drone show does. It makes a spectacle of Māori knowledge that reminds us all of the existence of Māori and how important mātauranga Māori is to the world.”

ARONUI Arts Festival Chair, Mercia Dawn-Yates, says the show is a huge win for the Te Arawa region.

“ARONUI has set the scene for telling our narratives in an extraordinarily creative way. Te Arawa have a saying ‘Whatitiri ki te rangi, Te Arawa ki te whenua’, last night we saw Te Arawa innovation, excell in our skies. We are very grateful to our sponsors for believing in our team and trusting in their vision.”

ARONUI continues to be a beacon of cultural celebration and innovation, setting a new standard for how we honour and share our heritage. The successful event is only the start of what ARONUI has planned for this year and has promised exciting things to come, with the announcement of their annual festival set to take place this September.

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