The 'man behind Matariki”, Professor Rangiānehu Matamua was named 2023 New Zealander of the Year Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa to a standing ovation from about 150 guests at an awards ceremony on Thursday night.

As the cheers died down, a number of guests on the floor broke into a rousing haka for the Waikato-based Māori scholar, who was anointed chief advisor Matariki and Mātauranga Māori, as the Government looked to formulate the new public holiday in 2022.

Matamua, 50, beat out a number of other 2023 finalists to take the award, including John Kirwan, the rugby legend and mental health advocate; Ruby Tui, the Black Ferns star and Rugby World Cup winner; and the Topp Twins, the iconic Kiwi entertainment duo.

The award was presented to him by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins at Auckland's Cordis Hotel.

Matamua wasn't expecting the award and so hadn't prepared a speech, but gave a shout-out to his fellow finalists, including the Topp Twins: 'Your legacy is amazing”, and told a story of John Kirwan being his childhood hero.

Speaking to Stuff, Matamua says winning the award is 'overwhelming and very special” to him.

He hopes Matariki will continue to be celebrated like it was last year and that people see it as part of our national identity.

'I actually hope it becomes our major holiday and we unite under Mataraki every year.”

Matamua says the country celebrating Matariki for the first time is the 'proudest moment” of his life.

'To see the nation just rise and accept it and celebrate it. It was, it was really powerful and meaningful for me.”

The annual accolade – which celebrates New Zealanders from all walks of life – was first awarded in 2010 to Sir Ray Avery. Previous alumni include Lance O'Sullivan, Taika Waititi, Richie McCaw and Siouxsie Wiles.

'I don't think anybody does any form of public service to be acknowledged or part of award ceremonies,” he says of his work, although Thursday's recognition is not the first time he has been celebrated for his achievements.

In 2022, the man behind the stars was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year's Honours list for services to Māori astronomy.

Matamua has also written three books on the Māori New Year, and he chaired the Matariki advisory group that decided when, why and how the holiday should be celebrated nationally.

As a key figure in making Matariki a national holiday for the first time in 2022, seeing the Māori New Year recognised and celebrated by all New Zealanders is the, 'most exciting moment of my life”.

'That moment we stop as a nation and celebrate who we are … it's connected to all of us and I love that.”

When asked if he hopes his win will inspire young people to follow his path, Matamua says in recent times there has 'been this idea that mātauranga Māori isn't science. It's been really sad to see”.

'I love western science and I love mātauranga Maori and I think a future forward is to look at the interface between those two knowledge systems, and how they connect, because they can be such a powerful thing, and Mataraiki's a prime example of that.”

Matamua hopes to continue to work in the field, supporting a new generation to both work in the science field and gain a deeper understanding of indigenous knowledge systems.

'My time in the space is fleeting but I know that long after I'm no longer here Matariki and that movement will continue on. That's the important thing.”

Earlier in the evening, Auckland's Shaneel Lal became the first trans person to be recognised in the awards' 13-year history, winning young New Zealander of the year Te Mātātahi o te Tau.

Lal, 22, was on the frontlines in the fight to ban conversion therapy in New Zealand, which was passed in parliament in 2022.

Other winners on the night were Wellington-based philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik KNZM, who won Senior New Zealander of the Year Te Mātāpuputu o te Tau; Pyper Vision CEO Emily Blyth, who was awarded Innovator of the Year Te Pou Whakairo o te Tau; and Camden Howitt, whose environmental work with Sustainable Coastlines saw the Aucklander recognised as Environmental Hero of the Year Te Toa Taiao o te Tau.

This year's Community of the Year Ngā Pou Whirinaki o te Tau award went to national charity Kindness Collective and New Zealand Local Hero of the Year Te Pou Toko o Te Tau was awarded to Dr Ellen Nelson, who helped bring 563 Afghanis safely to Aotearoa.

-Amberleigh Jack/Stuff.