The Society for Maori Astronomy Research and Traditions

Our organisation aims to revitalise Māori astronomical knowledge and to share this knowledge with rangatahi Māori and our communities.

Wellington

Our education programmes enrich the lives of Māori communities around the country. Our programmes involve going into schools and teaching our rangatahi about Māori astronomical knowledge, maramataka Māori and our ancestral sciences using our planetarium Dome (the SMART Dome). Our education team is made up of Mātauranga Māori experts, astronomers, scientists, voyagers and navigators. Please support our efforts to revitalise our knowledge and to share it with our communities today.

More about us

SMART consists of experts in Matauranga Maori Tatai Arorangi, Astrophysics and Celestial navigation. All of these individuals are passionate about our Maori starlore, its preservation and revitalisation. They are also passionate about empowering and propelling our rangatahi into a positive future.

We aim to spark memories and passion in others, through accessible knowledge transfer (Culture, Art, Audio visual & Cyber space).

Since our beginnings in 2009 with the International year of Astronomy, S.M.A.R.T. has sourced knowledge from astronomical educators, Matauranga Maori experts and research astronomers to create a trust that has been established to regain the long-neglected knowledge of New Zealand Maori astronomy.

Use of funds

Funds raised will be used towards the running of our outreach programme to go into schools in particular kura kaupapa Māori schools to share, educate and inspire our young Māori about astronomy, voyaging and Māori science. During our new year, our educators will also share with our rangatahi about the meanings and understandings of Matariki and Puanga whilst also inspiring them about waka voyaging across the Pacific.