KiwiRPG week coincides with Matariki, the midwinter rising of the Matariki star cluster. Matariki marks the start of a new year. This year the day of Matariki is Friday, June 28, but this event is marked and celebrated all week. 

The three principles of Matariki are, using words from matariki.com :

Matariki Hunga Nui – Remembrance: Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki.

Matariki Ahunga Nui – Celebrating the Present: Gathering together to give thanks for what we have.

Matariki Manako Nui – Looking to the Future: Looking forward to the promise of a new year.

In this post, Kēmu Whakatau O Aotearoa gives members an opportunity to honour those we have lost in our communities in the last year. Role playing games are about people and connection, and the bonds we form through friendship and play are powerful.

Additionally, as this is the first year our community has aligned with Matariki celebrations, we have invited members to also honour those who were lost in recent times but before the last rising of Matariki. In this first moment of remembrance for our new community it is right that we include them too. 

Some of these remembrances will be private, but some are shared here in this post. 

We invite KiwiRPG members to contact us with any remembrances as the week goes on. We will add them to this post.

—

I’d like to share the memory of my friend Zac. He was the kind of guy who was always ready with a lift to game night, words of reassurance, or a cheeky quip that made everyone laugh. He was as thoughtful as he was mischievous, and his absence is sorely felt. – Sam Robson

—

I want to remember my friend Jamie. He believed in the power and value of games and imaginative play and influenced me in a profound way. He made every game better. – Morgan Davie

—

James Plunket was a stalwart of Wellington’s gaming scene. His loss a few short years ago is still keenly felt by so many people here. Every game with him created joy. – Morgan Davie