Ngā Whetū O Matariki

Join us for a live, presenter-led Matariki kōrero under the planetarium stars. You’ll hear about ngā whetū (the stars), ngā aorangi (the planets), Maramataka (lunar cycle) and the many stories written in our night skies passed down from generation to generation. 

Presenter – Josh Kirkley

For the past four years, Josh has been one of Stardome’s kaiako o mātai arorangi (astronomy educators). His passion for space was kicked off through his love of astrophotography, having taken images of our night skies in Aotearoa for more than six years. This led him to pursue a career sharing his astronomy mātauranga full-time with us. His tremendous work has been acknowledged by the likes of NASA and the European Space Agency. Josh is also a tauira with Te Wananga o Aotearoa, currently in his second year of te reo studies. Of Kai Tahu descent, he recently reconnected back to his whakapapa and marae in the deep south of Awarua (Bluff). Alongside Olive, Josh has co-produced our 2020 Matariki show, Ngā Whetū o Matariki.

Presenter – Olive Karena-Lockyer

Since 2017, Olive has been one of our kaimahi at Stardome, starting out as a telescope operator before becoming a planetarium presenter. Olive fell in love with astronomy at a young age after a mobile planetarium visited her school, igniting an enthusiasm for all things space. Her fascination lies in the grandeur, beauty, and scale of the universe. Of Te Aupouri and Ngāti Raukawa descent, her passion is being able to share her mātauranga and aroha for matai aorangi and showing manaaki to all Stardome’s manuhiri (visitors).

Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your show. Late entry into the planetarium is not possible once the show has started.

Image credit: @joshkirkley