It is not just a holiday — it is a celebration.
Lawrence Area School pupils have taken over the Tuapeka Goldfields Museum to bring awareness to Lawrence about Matariki.
The pupils have prepared a Matariki›inspired exhibition.
They split into four groups to arrange each section of the museum with Matariki› inspired information and decorations.
Pupil Matilda Wightman said she defined Matariki as a celebration with family and friends to remember special people from the past and present and to look towards the future.
‘‘People come together to celebrate with family and friends to remember the special people who passed away during previous years,’’ Matilda said.
Museum manager and education officer Jess Weichler said the pupils had been working on the project for more than a month and were invited by her to give the museum some Matariki sparkle to demonstrate its significance through their own artistic endeavours.
‘‘The project was very student›led and they got to decide on the various aspects of Matariki and what they wanted to put on display for people near and far to see,’’ Ms Weichler said.
‘‘The children focused on the Matariki cluster, the celebration of Matariki, its history and historical games that were representative of Matariki.
‘‘I just love that their minds varied and put together information they were all interested in intheir own ways,’’ she said.
The children took posters to businesses in Lawrence seeking permission to put them up on front doors, along with setting up decorations, information posters, lights and stars to represent the cluster.
Ms Weichler said she was absolutely thrilled with the work the pupils put in and their abilities to express Matariki through art was wonderful.
The exhibition can be viewed in the Tuapeka Goldfields Museum until July
6.
