Every year, somewhere between late June and early July, a cluster of stars reappears in the pre-dawn sky above New Zealand. For most of the world, they are the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters, a formation that has guided farmers, navigators and stargazers across cultures for thousands of years. In Japan, the same cluster is known as Subaru. In Hawaii, Makali’i, meaning “eyes of royalty”. In ancient Babylon, they were used to mark the agricultural calendar. The Aboriginal peoples of Australia tracked them too, as did the Aztecs, who built temples aligned to their rising.
What is remarkable is that these cultures had no contact with one another. They developed their relationships with the Pleiades independently, from different corners of the earth, at different points in history. And yet they all looked up at the same stars and arrived at the same conclusion: that this cluster matters, that it marks time, that it connects us to something larger than ourselves. Long before solar calendars became the global standard, countless civilisations ran their lives by the moon and the stars. Matariki is one of the most beautiful living expressions of that tradition.
But in New Zealand, they are Matariki. And their return each winter marks something much more than an astronomical event.
What Is Matariki?
Matariki is the Māori New Year. For generations, Māori have looked to the rising of Matariki in midwinter as the beginning of a new year and a marker of seasonal change. The appearance of these stars has long guided important decisions around planting, harvesting and preparing for the colder months ahead. Traditionally, the brightness of the stars was used to predict the prosperity of the planting season. Clear, bright stars meant a warm and abundant season ahead. Hazy stars suggested a harder winter.
Matariki is a time for three things: remembering those who have passed since the last rising of Matariki, celebrating the present with community, and looking ahead to the future with hope and intention.
Mid-Winter in New Zealand
It is worth remembering what July actually means in New Zealand. While most of the Gloworm community in the northern hemisphere is in the middle of summer, New Zealand is deep in winter. The days are short. The best time to view the Matariki cluster is early morning, just before dawn. That means getting up before the sun, which at this time of year in Auckland rises somewhere around 7:30am and sets not long after 5pm. For riders, this is the season when a good Light System stops being optional. Night riding is not a novelty in a New Zealand winter. It is just riding.
That context matters for Gloworm. Our Light Systems were engineered to handle exactly this: long nights, variable conditions, trails that do not wait for good weather. The New Zealand winter is, in a sense, where Gloworm was born.
Why We Celebrate It
Gloworm was founded in New Zealand. The trails that shaped how we think about lighting, the riding culture that told us what riders actually need after dark, the community that gave us honest feedback before we ever shipped a product overseas, all of it is rooted in New Zealand.
The team today is spread across New Zealand, the US, Europe and China. Gloworm Light Systems are ridden on trails across dozens of countries. But the brand’s origins have never moved. The New Zealand trail map is still on our packaging. Our engineering still happens in New Zealand. And Matariki, for us, is a moment to acknowledge that.
We want to be honest about what that acknowledgement looks like. Most of the Gloworm team are not Māori. Many of us are not even from New Zealand. We are learning too, the same way a lot of people around the world are learning what Matariki actually is and what it means. We are not here to speak on behalf of a tradition that is not ours. But we do think it matters to pause, to recognise the place where this brand was built, and to honour the indigenous culture that has always been part of New Zealand’s identity.
Matariki is a secular and cultural observance. It is not tied to any specific religion and is open to all. That openness is part of what makes it feel right to mark as a global community.
How to Celebrate, Wherever You Are
Nowadays, people across New Zealand come together to remember their ancestors, share kai (food), sing songs, tell stories and play music. Matariki is about reconnecting with your home and community. There are many ways to acknowledge the Māori New Year: take time to remember loved ones, give thanks for the year that has passed, enjoy a feast together, plan for the next year, spend time with family and friends, write down your wishes for the year ahead.
The Pleiades are visible from most places on earth at different times of the year. Check when they rise where you are, go outside and find them. There is something about standing in the dark, looking up at a cluster of stars that humans have been navigating by for thousands of years, that puts things in perspective.
And then ask yourself: is that connection to nature, to the outdoors, to something bigger than a screen, part of why you ride in the first place? We think it probably is. Matariki is a good reminder of that. Whether you mark it with a dawn stargazing session, a night ride with friends, or just a quiet moment outside, the invitation is the same: look up, slow down, and appreciate where you are.
15% Off Sitewide, Worldwide
As our way of marking Matariki this year, we are offering 15% off across the whole range for a whole week between 6 to 13 of July, available to riders everywhere. It is a small gesture of celebration, and an invitation to the global Gloworm community to mark the occasion with us.
Mānawatia a Matariki!