This year New Zealand celebrates Matariki on Friday, 14 July. Matariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster that appears in the early morning sky in New Zealand during the mid-winter months.
The appearance of Matariki in the early morning skies, just before dawn, brings the past year to a close and marks the beginning of the new year of the Māori lunar calendar.
New Beginnings.
I've always had a strong connection to the concept. In recruitment and placement, New Beginnings is at the forefront of what we enable every day. When a person accepts a new role, it signifies the beginning of a new phase of their career, sometimes the beginning of a whole new career. And more often than not, the beginning of a whole new life. Sometimes this new life is around the corner, sometimes it's in a new city or even a new country.
For the employer, it marks the beginning of a new team member who brings their wisdom, skills and experience. It's the beginning of new energy and new potential.
New beginnings all around. It gives me so much joy.
This Friday, celebrate Matariki with your loved ones. Matariki is about reconnecting with your home and whānau (family). Have a feast. Laugh a lot. Remember the past, give thanks to the present, and look to the future with hope and heaps of positive energy.
