Maramataka is the Māori lunar calendar, translating as “the turning of the moon”. It’s a thousand years of indigenous knowledge that was originally meant for survival – how to observe the ebb and flow of the natural world in order to optimise crucial activities like fishing and growing vegetables. But for a while now, the team at Healthy Families Rotorua has been testing it out by “stretching its legs a bit” as part of their workplace wellbeing initiative.
The programme faced quite the test when New Zealand went into noho rāhui / lockdown and the small team had to carry out their essential work all while working remotely.
Mapihi Raharuhi, the manager of Healthy Families Rotorua, said that one of the key qualities of Maramataka is that it added both structure and purpose to the day for their team of fourteen.