Pack of 9 Matariki Decorative Stars Whetu Pack of 9 Matariki Decorative Stars Whetu
Decorate your home, office, business or school room with these 9 Matariki wooden stars, whetu. Matariki is a wonderful time for reflection and for planning the year ahead. Involve the whole family, your staff, or school. A great way to teach Maori culture to your children and other people.
Each star hangs from a knotted cord, so all you need to do is decide where to hang them. The stars represent 9 different stars in the Matariki (Pleiades) cluster:
1. Matariki - Matariki is the first star and 'mother' of the 8 other stars. She is connected to the good health and wellbeing of people, so if she is high up and bright in the sky, this is taken as a sign of good luck and good health to those viewing her.
2. Pohutukawa - Pohutukawa is connected to those who have passed on. When a person dies and their spirit leaves them, their spirit travels to the northern most point of New Zealand, where an ancient pohutukawa tree stands on a ledge above the ocean. From there their spirit goes to Hawaiiki. Observing this star gives you a moment to reflect on those people who have died in the past year.
3. Hiwa-i-te-rangi - known as the wishing star, Hiwa-i-te-rangi is used to set your goals or wishes for the year.
4. Waita - Waita is connected to the oceans and the animals that live in them. It represents food gathered from the sea.
5. Ururangi - the winds of the sky. Observing Ururangi is a way to forecast wind action for the year ahead.
6. Waipunarangi - or Waipuna-a-rangi, means water that pools in the sky, in other words, the rain.
7. Waiti - (the twin of Waita) is connected to fresh water and the animals that live in it. So the creatures living in our streams, rivers and lakes.
8. Tupuanuku - this star is associated with the food grown in the ground, particularly our winter crops. It reminds us to sow our winter crops before winter arrives.
9. Tupuarangi - this star is associated with food from the sky, so includes birds, as well as foods that can grow up high, like berries and other fruits.
Each of the wooden stars measures approximately 9.9cm x 9cm (3 3/4" x 3 3/8"). They were designed by NZ Maori illustrator Isobel Te Aho-White (Ngai Tahu, Ngati Kahungunu ki te Wairoa).
Shipped worldwide from New Zealand.
Covid continues to impact our shipping times, so this is a guide only. We do not accept any responsibility for how long shippers take to deliver, as it is beyond our control. These are approximate timelines for how long parcels take to get to their destinations currently.
| Country | Airmail | Tracked Airmail | Economy Courier | Express Courier |
| Australia - ACT, VIC, QLD, NSW | up to 5 weeks | 3-4 weeks | 2 weeks | 7 days (faster to major metro areas) |
| Australia - SA, WA, NT, TAS | 5-6 weeks | 4-5 weeks | 3 weeks | 10 days |
| USA and UK | 4 weeks | 2-3 weeks | 10 days |
7 days |
| Europe and Asia | 6-7 weeks | 4 weeks | 3 weeks | 10 days |
| South America | Minimum 3 months | Minimum 3 months | 4-5 weeks | 2 weeks |
| Rest of World | Variable | Variable | 3-5 weeks |
2 weeks |
| New Zealand | up to a week (only used for items sent in an envelope - iron on patches and cords without toggles) | Courier: North Island overnight, South Island 1-2 days Rural: add a day |
|
Shipping Types
International
Airmail
Standard Airmail shipping around the world. Not insured or tracked. If an airmail parcel goes missing we will do our best to work with shippers to find it, but shipping this way is at your own risk. The likelihood of an airmail parcel going missing is very low.
Tracked Airmail
Airmail shipping around the world, with the added bonus of basic tracking (shipped, arrival in destination country, delivery). Not insured. Shipping this way is at your own risk - there is no compensation if the parcel goes missing. However the likelihood of a tracked parcel going missing is very low.
Economy Courier
Priority shipping around the world, delivered by your local postal authority. Can ship to a PO Box. Insured and comprehensive tracking.
Express Courier
The fastest courier option, using couriers including DHL, Fedex and TNT. Insured and comprehensive tracking. Cannot be used to deliver to PO Boxes, and must be signed for.
New Zealand
Courier within New Zealand
We use both Courierpost and NZ Couriers.
Airmail - only used for items sold with shipping included, mostly plain cords and iron on patches. Shipped using NZ Post.
Pick Up From Store
Only available for those who can pick up from Whangarei within 24-48 hours after the order has been prepared. We will contact you when your order is ready to be picked up. Pick up hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and the address is 12 Pahau Ave, Tikipunga, Whangarei. Come down right hand side of building to first door.
Order Processing Times
Allow 1 business day for an order to be processed, and 1 business day for packing. If an item has temporarily gone out of stock, re-stocking most often takes 2 days but can be up to 2 weeks. We will contact you regarding any major delays.
We ship from Whangarei, New Zealand. When you place your order online, an email confirmation is sent to you. If you cannot see it in your inbox, please check your spam or junk folders, in case your email provider has inadvertently put it there. Please check your confirmation email carefully to make sure you have correctly entered your address and that of the recipient (if you are sending elsewhere). We do not accept any responsibility for errors in the address. If a parcel is returned, we will re-ship if you pay the shipping charge again, or refund you for the goods (only).
You will receive a notification when we ship, which in most cases will include tracking information.
Taxes
Your international order (anything shipped outside New Zealand) may be subject to import duties and taxes, including VAT, which are incurred once your shipment reaches your destination country. ShopNZ is not responsible for these charges if they are applied, and are your responsibility as the customer.
For the UK and Europe, we are gradually being forced to collect VAT on small shipments before shipping, which will means nothing needs to be paid at your end. Your order will show if we have collected VAT on your behalf.
Covid continues to impact our shipping times, so this is a guide only. We do not accept any responsibility for how long shippers take to deliver, as it is beyond our control. These are approximate timelines for how long parcels take to get to their destinations currently.
| Country | Airmail | Tracked Airmail | Economy Courier | Express Courier |
| Australia - ACT, VIC, QLD, NSW | up to 5 weeks | 3-4 weeks | 2 weeks | 7 days (faster to major metro areas) |
| Australia - SA, WA, NT, TAS | 5-6 weeks | 4-5 weeks | 3 weeks | 10 days |
| USA and UK | 4 weeks | 2-3 weeks | 10 days |
7 days |
| Europe and Asia | 6-7 weeks | 4 weeks | 3 weeks | 10 days |
| South America | Minimum 3 months | Minimum 3 months | 4-5 weeks | 2 weeks |
| Rest of World | Variable | Variable | 3-5 weeks |
2 weeks |
| New Zealand | up to a week (only used for items sent in an envelope - iron on patches and cords without toggles) | Courier: North Island overnight, South Island 1-2 days Rural: add a day |
|
Shipping Types
International
Airmail
Standard Airmail shipping around the world. Not insured or tracked. If an airmail parcel goes missing we will do our best to work with shippers to find it, but shipping this way is at your own risk. The likelihood of an airmail parcel going missing is very low.
Tracked Airmail
Airmail shipping around the world, with the added bonus of basic tracking (shipped, arrival in destination country, delivery). Not insured. Shipping this way is at your own risk - there is no compensation if the parcel goes missing. However the likelihood of a tracked parcel going missing is very low.
Economy Courier
Priority shipping around the world, delivered by your local postal authority. Can ship to a PO Box. Insured and comprehensive tracking.
Express Courier
The fastest courier option, using couriers including DHL, Fedex and TNT. Insured and comprehensive tracking. Cannot be used to deliver to PO Boxes, and must be signed for.
New Zealand
Courier within New Zealand
We use both Courierpost and NZ Couriers.
Airmail - only used for items sold with shipping included, mostly plain cords and iron on patches. Shipped using NZ Post.
Pick Up From Store
Only available for those who can pick up from Whangarei within 24-48 hours after the order has been prepared. We will contact you when your order is ready to be picked up. Pick up hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and the address is 12 Pahau Ave, Tikipunga, Whangarei. Come down right hand side of building to first door.
Order Processing Times
Allow 1 business day for an order to be processed, and 1 business day for packing. If an item has temporarily gone out of stock, re-stocking most often takes 2 days but can be up to 2 weeks. We will contact you regarding any major delays.
We ship from Whangarei, New Zealand. When you place your order online, an email confirmation is sent to you. If you cannot see it in your inbox, please check your spam or junk folders, in case your email provider has inadvertently put it there. Please check your confirmation email carefully to make sure you have correctly entered your address and that of the recipient (if you are sending elsewhere). We do not accept any responsibility for errors in the address. If a parcel is returned, we will re-ship if you pay the shipping charge again, or refund you for the goods (only).
You will receive a notification when we ship, which in most cases will include tracking information.
Taxes
Your international order (anything shipped outside New Zealand) may be subject to import duties and taxes, including VAT, which are incurred once your shipment reaches your destination country. ShopNZ is not responsible for these charges if they are applied, and are your responsibility as the customer.
For the UK and Europe, we are gradually being forced to collect VAT on small shipments before shipping, which will means nothing needs to be paid at your end. Your order will show if we have collected VAT on your behalf.
