Pōhutukawa is one of the stars in the Matariki cluster and is the star that connects Matariki to the dead. It carries those who've passed away since the last heliacal rising of Matariki in Pipiri. Māori belief determines that the spirits of the dead leave the body and undertake a journey along Te Ara Wairua - The Pathway of Spirits. Near the ocean, the journey ends where an ancient Pōhutukawa tree stands - the dead descend the tree root into the underworld. Tamaora has used the ruru form as inspiration for this design as the ruru is a significant bird in māori culture, seen as a kaitiaki and protector of the past. It is through Pōhutukawa that we remember those who have died in the past year.