Māori, like other Polynesians, measure time by the Moon and a day is counted from sunset to sunset. The Māori lunar calendar is called Maramataka.

There are more than 40 versions of Maramataka across Aotearoa. The Moon travels around Earth in 29.53 days – this is the period of the lunar phases, also known as the synodic month. The lunar phase or Moon phase is the shape of the directly sunlit portion of the Moon, as viewed from Earth. The synodic month is the average period of the Moon’s orbit concerning the line joining the Sun and Earth. The Moon’s appearance depends on the position of the Moon for the Sun as seen from the Earth. The lunar phases gradually change over a synodic month, as the orbital positions of the Moon around Earth, and Earth around the Sun, shift. Check them out in the video below.

"How the Māori applied Marama’s thirty nights to fit in with the proper age of the moon has not been made clear. Some Māori authorities contend that the moon disappears underground and reappears after travelling for two days underground." - Te Takitimu, by A.H. and A.W. Reed

https://www.museumswellington.org.nz/matariki-the-maori-phases-of-the-moon/

For Māori, the best times for the cultivation and harvesting of food were marked by bodies visible in the night sky. The passing of years, seasons and months were signalled by prominent stars and the phases of the moon.

Early Māori people had a detailed knowledge of astronomy. A significant use of astronomical knowledge was for ocean navigation. Polynesian voyagers were able to traverse the vast distances of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, the Pacific Ocean, to find and settle in Aotearoa using the stars as a reference for direction and location. Māori astronomy has a strong connection to the planting and harvesting of crops, influenced by Te Maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar. The word ‘maramataka’ literally means ‘the turning of the Moon.’ Each day of the month was named according to the phases of the Moon, accompanied by information that guided activities like fishing, gardening, and food gathering. Some days would be identified as good days for harvesting certain resources, while other days were considered unfavourable. Puaka and Matariki are two important celestial events in Māori culture that have been revitalised in recent times. Today, the celebration of Puaka and Matariki is a time to spend with family and friends, and to reflect on the year that’s been and the year to come. These events are commonly referred to as the Māori New Year.  - otagomuseum.nz/puaka-and-matariki

Print and create your own Maramataka calendar, adding the moon phases relevant to your hapū, iwi or location: https://legacy.allright.org.nz/resources/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crux

The name Crux is Latin for cross. It is the smallest of all 88 modern constellations. It has attained a high level of cultural significance in many Southern Hemisphere states and nations. There are four key stars: Acrux (the brightest and most southern star), Mimosa, Mimosa and Imai. The bright stars in Crux were known to the Ancient Greeks, where Ptolemy regarded them as part of the constellation Centaurus.

The South Celestial Pole is the point in the southern sky that the stars rotate around, moving in a circle around this point throughout the year. This means that, while the Southern Cross will change position in the sky throughout the year, it is always visible and can always be used to find south here in Aotearoa.

Photo by Geoff Cloake of the Southern Lights from Timaru Aoril 2023.

The South Celestial Pole is the point in the sky about which all the stars seen from the Southern Hemisphere rotate.  The asterism has been used by navigators for centuries. Diagram show how to use the Southern Cross and the "Southern Pointers" starts to locate the south celestial pole.

• For the Tainui Māori of New Zealand, it represents Te Punga, the anchor of a great sky canoe. For Wairarapa Māori, the Southern Cross is Māhutonga, an opening for storm winds to escape through the Milky Way.
• The 16th-century European navigators who sailed into southern seas perceived it as a symbol of their Christian faith.
• The southern cross is also on Brazil's flag, it's called Cruzeiro do Sul.
• European voyagers in the late 15th century took it as a sign of divine blessing for their conquests. 

The Southern Cross is a New Zealand national icon. The stars on the Flag represent the Southern Cross constellation, emphasising New Zealand's location in the South Pacific Ocean. The Union Jack in the top left-hand corner of the Flag recognises New Zealand's historical foundations as a former British colony and dominion. - mch.govt.nz/nz-identity

The design of New Zealand's national flag emerged over several years before being officially approved in 1902. Its origins date from 1865 when the British Government instructed that vessels from the colonies should fly the Blue Ensign with the seal or badge of the colony on it. New Zealand didn’t have a recognised badge at the time, so its vessels flew the Blue Ensign without any markings until reprimanded by the British Government. Mr G Eliott, Secretary of the General Post Office, recommended that the four stars of the Southern Cross be used as New Zealand's badge but this was rejected. Instead the words ‘New Zealand’ were added to the Blue Ensign, and later shortened to ‘NZ’ in red letters with white borders. In 1869, Governor Sir George Bowen directed that the Southern Cross replace ‘NZ’ on the Blue Ensign. The Southern Cross was represented by four five-pointed red stars with white borders to correspond with the colours of the Union Jack. Still officially a maritime flag, the flag was used on land and gradually became recognised as New Zealand’s national flag. In 1902, the flag officially became the National Flag of New Zealand.