Matariki is the Maori Goddess of the Pleiades, a group of seven stars that have mythological associations all over the world. To the Maori, the Pleiades are Matariki and her six daughters:
Tupu-a-Nuku, Tupu-a-Rangi, Wai-Tii, Wai-Ta, Wai-puna-Rangi, and Uru-Rangi. Matariki means “small eyes,” and the appearance of the Goddess and her daughters in the sky signals the beginning of the new year.