Outdoor Matariki show returns to PumpHouse

The Matariki play .co.nz returns to the PumpHouse this month with a fresh directorial approach.

Presented by Chocolate & Carnage Theatre, the play follows three friends navigating the complexity of modern life during the Matariki season.

On their journey they are confronted with issues such as discrimination and hate – and their own place within Māori culture.

It explores te ao Māori (the Maori world view) through the lens of Matariki and has themes of reflection, meditation, mourning, acceptance and celebration.

Playwright Mark Wilson wrote the play last year out of a feeling of “deep shame of what I would consider not knowing enough about my own culture”.

The story is linked to Wilson’s own journey of learning more about Māori culture and his connection with it.

Wilson, who also stars in the play, says he’s “thrilled” to share his story.

Director Meg Andrews said that to avoid doing the exact same show as last year, she “made it my mission to freshen it”.

The team had taken the elements that worked and enhanced them, while embracing making new additions such as a live musician.

Last year, the music was run through a sound system, but Andrews thought a live