Sylvia Park turned Matariki into a gathering-place story for shoppers

Create an experience honouring Matariki that is authentic and culturally grounded for a diverse public audience, rather than a seasonal visual treatment.

People as waka: the mall where thousands cross paths daily becomes Matariki's gathering place, anchored in the Taramainuku story.

Large-scale in-centre design, digital and social content, and interactive take-home activities, developed by Takitoru to keep the storytelling grounded in te ao Māori, with the story of Taramainuku providing the campaign's narrative thread.

The centre extended beyond commerce into a platform for education, storytelling and community connection; the write-up reported no performance figures.

In July 2026, Auckland shopping centre Sylvia Park unveiled its campaign for Matariki Herenga Waka, created with cultural consultancy Takitoru, part of McCann New Zealand. The work responds to the year's national Matariki theme — the coming together of people — using the waka as a metaphor for people and connecting it to the centre's role as a place where thousands of people and communities cross paths each day.

Rather than focusing solely on the Matariki star cluster, the experience is anchored in the story of Taramainuku, guardian of the night sky, whose narrative threads through the campaign and helps visitors engage with the celebration's meaning: a time of remembrance, reflection, celebration and renewal.

The experience spans large-scale in-centre design, digital and social content, and interactive take-home activities. Takitoru's design lead Dean Pomfrett said the ambition was to make the centre itself part of the story — 'a contemporary gathering place where people could pause, connect and encounter the meaning of Matariki together' — with senior cultural advisor Rangi Ahipene ensuring the storytelling stayed grounded in te ao Māori while remaining accessible.

The theme maps naturally onto the venue: Herenga Waka describes exactly what a shopping centre does, gathering people daily.

A named narrative — Taramainuku — gives visitors a story to follow rather than decorative star imagery.

Cultural guidance from Takitoru kept the experience authentic for Māori communities while welcoming everyone.

A mall that hosts a community every day is already the gathering a national theme describes — borrow the story, and the building becomes the narrative.

As of the July 2026 write-up the Matariki experience was live across Sylvia Park's in-centre, digital and social channels, with take-home activities extending it beyond the visit.