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Run Aotearoa brings Matariki celebration to Sylvia Park
A huge display in the centre court of Auckland’s Sylvia Park mall has been set up to recognise Matariki this coming weekend.
Created by Māori-owned creative agency Run Aotearoa, the large panels feature visuals of hands and whai patterns, interwoven with the names of the Matariki stars. Whai are traditional string games, played by Māori during the time of Matariki.
Run Aotearoa says its aim was to acknowledge Matariki and Te Whare Tapere, the traditional house of entertainment and games, with the installation connecting each of the nine stars in the Matariki cluster to a whai string formation.
Recently returning from a judging and speaking role at the Cannes Lions Awards, Run Co-founder and CCO, Raymond Otene McKay (Ngaati Mahuta, Ngāti Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Pūkeko) says, “Each year we’re asked to create campaigns centred around Matariki and we love challenging ourselves to create original work, just like our ancestors did.”
“We aim to educate and inspire people in an accessible way through our mahi, and this campaign does just that,” says Otene McKay.
Along with the installation, the wider campaign features social media, digital assets, OOH and an activation, where shoppers can stop by to learn how to create the Matariki whai patterns themselves.
