MATĀRIKI FOREVER
NINE STARS. NINE CHEFS. ONE TABLE.
MATĀRIKI FOREVER
NINE STARS. NINE CHEFS. ONE TABLE.
To celebrate Matāriki, Ironclad has created He Taonga Nā Matāriki, the Matāriki Heirloom. Each is handmade in New Zealand and cast with Te Tēpu Whakapapa, The Family Table, a design by Tā Moko artist Jesse Esler.
Nine Heirlooms will be gifted to Māori and Pasifika chefs. Each chef has been invited to share a recipe and story inspired by one of the nine stars of Matāriki, reflecting their own traditions and connection to the celebration.
He Taonga Nā Matāriki is a gift for future generations. A celebration of whakapapa, of gathering together, of nourishing traditions and passing them forward.
This project is about connection, honouring traditions, and celebrating the wisdom held in the stories we inherit.
Meet The Artist - Jesse Esler
Te Tēpu Whakapapa
The Family Table
Matāriki is a time for remembrance, reflection, and renewal. It marks the Māori New Year, guided by the rising of the Matāriki star cluster. Each star carries a story of land, water, sky, memory, food, and hope.
Traditionally, it is a moment to look back, to honour those who fed us, taught us, raised us, and those who have passed. It is also a time to look forward, planting new crops and setting new intentions. Matāriki holds time in balance. Past and future. Grief and hope.
This design, Te Tēpu Whakapapa (The Family Table), was created by Tā Moko artist Jesse Esler, to honour Matāriki.
It is a family story of Matāriki, cast in iron to be handed down through generations. An heirloom guaranteed for three generations, carrying recipes, stories, and traditions. A reminder to look back, look forward, and look up.
At the left of the table sit three generations past. At the right, three generations yet to come. Presences we feel, even when their chairs sit empty. This reflects the span of whakapapa, the range of lived memory most humans can physically hold. Beyond that, memory becomes myth, story, and faith.
At the centre is us. We are caretakers, not owners. While we hold this space, it is our responsibility to share the gifts passed to us and prepare the table for those who follow.
At the top is Matāriki.
The kai feeds us.
The rising steam feeds Matāriki.
This design reminds us our hākari is a result of thinking beyond ourselves. And while the seats at the table change, one guest is always there. Matāriki.
