{"id":714507,"date":"2022-06-23T10:01:57","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T10:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/?p=75494"},"modified":"2022-06-23T10:01:57","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T10:01:57","slug":"matariki-falls-during-a-quiet-retail-season-but-nz-businesses-should-be-wary-of-cashing-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/06\/23\/matariki-falls-during-a-quiet-retail-season-but-nz-businesses-should-be-wary-of-cashing-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Matariki falls during a quiet retail season \u2013 but NZ businesses should be wary of cashing in"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>ANALYSIS:<\/strong> <em>By <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/mike-lee-1326611\">Mike Lee<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-auckland-1305\"><em>University of Au<\/em>ckland<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Aotearoa New Zealand will enjoy a new official public holiday on June 24, with the country marking Matariki &#8212; the start of the M\u0101ori New Year. But with it comes the temptation for businesses to use the day to drive sales.<\/p>\n<p>Some M\u0101ori have already expressed concern that businesses were positioning themselves to market Matariki as a shopping event.<\/p>\n<p>On the back of those concerns, Skye Kimura, chief executive of M\u0101ori cultural marketing and communications agency T\u0101tou, launched a campaign called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stuff.co.nz\/business\/128813588\/noone-wants-to-see-a-matariki-big-mac-mori-cultural-advisers-warn-of-potential-commercialisation-of-matariki\">\u201cMatariki is not for sale\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/australia-day-invasion-day-survival-day-a-long-history-of-celebration-and-contestation-70278\">READ MORE: <\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/australia-day-invasion-day-survival-day-a-long-history-of-celebration-and-contestation-70278\">Australia Day, Invasion Day, Survival Day: a long history of celebration and contestation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/matariki-reintroducing-the-tradition-of-maori-new-year-celebrations-79661\">Matariki: reintroducing the tradition of M\u0101ori New Year celebrations<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/?s=Matariki\">Other Matariki reports<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cNo one wants to see a Matariki Big Mac,\u201d she argued.<\/p>\n<p>But those trying to defend Matariki from mass commercialisation could be fighting a difficult battle.<\/p>\n<p>Few public holidays, either in New Zealand and elsewhere, have been immune to commercial interests. In the United States, for example, businesses are facing criticism for attempting to make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/06\/17\/1101017257\/juneteenth-products-companies-problematic\">money from Juneteenth<\/a>, a holiday to celebrate the emancipation of slaves.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Human tendency to mark the change<br \/>\n<\/strong>One of the difficulties facing critics of the commercialisation of public holidays is that they may be fighting deep habits born out of capitalism and human nature.<\/p>\n<p>A lot of our special occasions are structured around various parts of the year and changes in the pattern of life. The earliest pagan rituals were about the change in seasons and to mark what was different from one period of life to the next.<\/p>\n<p>From a social and possibly evolutionary perspective, we are already primed to do something different from our day-to-day activities to mark the significant changes we see around us.<\/p>\n<p>When we have these seasonal celebrations, it doesn\u2019t take much of a nudge for retailers to say, hey, people are looking to mark the change and shopping is a really good way to enact that transition between two phases &#8212; an \u201cout with old, in with the new\u201d message.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469920\/original\/file-20220621-11-spvb23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469920\/original\/file-20220621-11-spvb23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=428&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469920\/original\/file-20220621-11-spvb23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=428&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469920\/original\/file-20220621-11-spvb23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=428&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469920\/original\/file-20220621-11-spvb23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=537&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469920\/original\/file-20220621-11-spvb23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=537&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469920\/original\/file-20220621-11-spvb23.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=537&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\" alt=\"Light display telling the story of Matariki.\" width=\"600\" height=\"428\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">New Zealand\u2019s new public holiday celebrates the New Year in the M\u0101ori lunar calendar. Image: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com.au\/detail\/news-photo\/water-screen-display-about-the-matariki-maori-new-year-is-news-photo\/1233883857?adppopup=true\">Guo Lei\/Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Shopping to celebrate is what we do<br \/>\n<\/strong>Each year is already punctuated with several cultural celebrations that have, over time, become shopping events. The most classic example is the commercialisation of Christmas.<\/p>\n<p>Even though there is the Christian tradition of the three wise men giving gifts at the birth of Christ, establishing the ritual of gift giving, the three months leading up to December 25 have become about sales and opportunities to spend.<\/p>\n<p>Easter, Valentine\u2019s Day, Queen\u2019s Birthday weekend and even Labour Day have all become sales events for retailers.<\/p>\n<p>Matariki also lands in a quiet time of the year for retail &#8212; right in the middle of winter and between the big shopping weekends of Queen\u2019s Birthday and Labour Day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Potential for blowback against retailers<br \/>\n<\/strong>But when businesses commercialise anything there is always the question of whether they have the legitimacy to do so, or whether they\u2019re bastardising the event for commercial gain.<\/p>\n<p>There is the potential for significant blowback for businesses looking to cash in on Matariki. And they only need to look at Anzac Day as an example of commemoration that remains off limits to blatant commercialisation.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, it\u2019s fine to sell poppies or to have a donation box at your point of sale. It\u2019s even okay to advertise with a \u201cthank you for your service\u201d banner. But if a business tries obviously to make money on the back of Anzac Day, people start to get a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.odt.co.nz\/news\/dunedin\/creeping-commercialisation-anzac-day-decried\">little upset<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean businesses don\u2019t try to get around public sentiment. Every year there is an element of \u201cAnzac washing\u201d, where companies try to make it look like they\u2019re supportive of veterans, even if they have otherwise done nothing to support former and current military personnel.<\/p>\n<p>It is likely that how we handle Anzac Day will provide a baseline for critics assessing businesses that try to use Matariki as a way to drive sales.<\/p>\n<p>Businesses could be judged by whether or not they have Matariki sales, or whether there is some sort of attempt to \u201cMatariki-wash\u201d their other commercial offerings.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469923\/original\/file-20220621-23-wrrp6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469923\/original\/file-20220621-23-wrrp6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469923\/original\/file-20220621-23-wrrp6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469923\/original\/file-20220621-23-wrrp6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469923\/original\/file-20220621-23-wrrp6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469923\/original\/file-20220621-23-wrrp6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/469923\/original\/file-20220621-23-wrrp6a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\" alt=\"Christmas themed gifts for sale.\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christmas is the classic example of the commercialisation of cultural tradition. Image: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com.au\/detail\/news-photo\/palestinian-seller-works-on-decorations-at-a-store-for-the-news-photo\/1237065608?adppopup=true\">Rizek Abdeljawad\/Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Businesses should tread carefully<br \/>\n<\/strong>It is an area full of potential landmines, with little clear benefit at this stage.<\/p>\n<p>Not only is there the commercialisation of a public holiday, which some people find annoying already, but there\u2019s also the debate about cultural appropriation versus cultural appreciation.<\/p>\n<p>Companies need to realise the potential for blowback and controversy is multiplied above other, more established public holidays. There are those who are annoyed about another public holiday adding labour costs for businesses. And there even are those objecting to the supposed \u201cwokeness\u201d of celebrating Matariki.<\/p>\n<p>At a bare minimum, then, businesses determined to use Matariki as part of their sales pitch need to understand what the celebration is really about and its significance within the community.<\/p>\n<p>It will be interesting to see if any are willing to risk the minefield for the sake of sales that come from an extra three-day weekend, or whether they\u2019ll wait and see what happens to those who take the risk first.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/185398\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><em>Dr <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/mike-lee-1326611\">Mike Lee<\/a> is associate professor of marketing, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-auckland-1305\">University of Auckland<\/a><\/em>. This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons licence. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/matariki-falls-during-a-quiet-retail-season-but-businesses-should-be-wary-of-cashing-in-185398\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/2022\/06\/23\/matariki-falls-during-a-quiet-retail-season-but-nz-businesses-should-be-wary-of-cashing-in\/\">Asia Pacific Report<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ANALYSIS: By Mike Lee, University of Auckland Aotearoa New Zealand will enjoy a new official public holiday on June 24, with the country marking Matariki \u2014 the start of the M\u0101ori New Year. But with it comes the temptation for businesses to use the day to drive sales. Some M\u0101ori have already expressed concern that<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":400,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441,923,50300,42328,250,5,7,7255,50303,50312,41897,50321,255,12,50324,392,50332,4123,1743],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714507"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/400"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=714507"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":714509,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714507\/revisions\/714509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=714507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=714507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=714507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}