New PA announcements in te reo Māori are set to welcome travellers to Tāmaki Makaurau for the first time, to celebrate Matariki this Friday.
Passengers arriving at Auckland Airport will hear the announcements - also in English - explaining the significance of Matariki.
Two tamariki from nearby schools and two airport kaimahi (staff) have voiced the recordings, to be heard throughout the domestic and international terminals.
Auckland Airport's CEO Carrie Hurihanganui said they are well-placed to educate people about Matariki as they arrive in Tāmaki Makaurau.
"The first thing travellers will hear when they land on Kiwi soil and disembark the plane will be te reo Māori, and meaningful messages of Matariki, over our PA system," she said in a statement.
Two airport kaimahi (staff) who speak te reo Māori pitched in to voice the announcements - duty operations manager Gabriel Thompson and deputy crew chief operations Mataio Masina.
In addition, two tamariki from nearby schools, Psalm-Aawhina Mahanga and Marlowe Aira Reid, explain the importance of the whetū (stars) in the Matariki cluster.
Reid's koro (granddad) Te Whainoa Te Wiata, who conducts internal te reo Māori courses for Auckland Airport kaimahi, also pitched in to help.
"Not only do these courses help beginners and intermediates learn te reo Māori but it also helps with cultural competency and allows our people to learn key tikanga, or customs," said Hurihanganui.
More than 50,000 kaieke (passengers) are expected to hear the Matariki announcements as they pass through the airport on Friday July 14.
International arrivals will continue to be welcomed as normal by a karanga ringing out as they walk through the tomokanga (carved entrance gate).
"Matariki is an important time for many of our Auckland Airport employees and we want to share this with our travellers," Hurihanganui said.
She added the airport will likely update the PA announcements for future special occasions.
"Our team members were proud to be a part of this and we look forward to seeing reactions from travellers as they come through the terminals," she said.
It comes after Auckland Airport announced its $3.9 billion redevelopment in March, which will fuse its domestic and international terminals.
Despite not being mentioned in the redevelopment plans, design consultancy Maynard released images this week of new trilingual signage for the airport's redevelopment.
An example of the te reo Māori announcements:
"Nau mai ki Aotearoa, tau mai ki Tāmaki Makaurau. Tākina rā ko Pūanga e tōia nei a Matariki ki te pae. Mānawatia te wā, mānawatia te ātea, mānawatia ngā tohu o te tau hou Māori. Tukua tō manawa kia ngā i te mauri o Matariki. Tukua tō ngākau kia pīpiri atu ki te mahana o tō ahi kā. Tukua tō ate kia ngiha anō a mahara. Tukua ngā hara ki tua, kia wātea ai tō ātea ki mua. Mānawatia a Matariki.
"Welcome to Auckland, New Zealand. Today, we celebrate the rising of Matariki, the star cluster. For many Māori, it heralds the start of the New Year. As you step into Tāmaki Makaurau, immerse yourself in the magic of Matariki. For many, Matariki is a time to rest, to reconnect with loved ones and reminisce about past times, to realign with the present and reset for the future. We wish you a bountiful year ahead. Mānawatia a Matariki."
