The Government has also asked the Matariki Advisory Group to advise on future dates, as the exact timing of Matariki shifts each year, but these are expected to always fall on a Monday or Friday. Matariki will be a distinctly New Zealand holiday; a time for reflection and celebration, and our first public holiday that recognises Te Ao Māori, Ardern said in her speech at Waitangi s upper marae on Thursday. It s great to have the date locked in for next year. This will be a day to acknowledge our nation s unique, shared identity, and the importance of tikanga Māori. It s going to be something very special, and something uniquely New Zealand, she said.