Welcome to Te Manahuna (the Mackenzie), home of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.

Here, in Te Manahuna, we're driven by a collective kaupapa (purpose) to protect te pō (dark sky), preserve whenua (land) and kotahitaka (unity).

Matariki, the Māori new year, is an opportunity for all to gather together and reflect on the year that has passed, celebrate the present, and plan for the future. It is a time to pause, to connect, and to consider our responsibility to our environment.

Join us for kai, culture and kōrero as we celebrate the rising of Matariki under the cloak of the world's largest gold dark sky reserve.

Nau mai, haere mai. We look forward to welcoming you.

Te Manahuna (Mackenzie Basin) is an area of immense cultural and historical significance to Kāi Tahu whānui. The placenames which adorn the land and waterways tell rich stories of a landscape which has sheltered and fed generations upon generations.  

This kōrero will feature the histories of some of these placenames and traditional travel routes, and also explore Kā Huru Manu, the Ngāi Tahu digital atlas. Kā Huru Manu is a repository of Kāi Tahu placenames, travel routes and Māori reserves across Te Waipounamu (the South Island). It is the culmination of 20 years of work by Ngāi Tahu kaumātua and the Ngāi Tahu Archive.