Māori divide the year into seasons, months, and lunar phases. Time is determined by a number of factors, including the position of the sun, the phase of the moon, and the rising and setting of stars.

Māori take into account the position of the sun when it rises, various stars that appear in the morning before the sun, and the different lunar phases. These events give us our markers of time.

The Matariki public holiday dates fall on the closest Friday to the Tangaroa lunar period during the lunar month of Pipiri. Tangaroa is not a single phase of the moon but rather the last quarter period of the lunar calendar. Because of this, the dates to celebrate Matariki will differ from year to year.

This period is one of the most well-known and best recorded times to celebrate Matariki.