If you want to develop your listening skills, try these tasks as you listen to the text. The answers are at the bottom of this page, after the Vocabulary. Thanks to Natasha Groves for preparing the tasks.
If you want to listen and read, just scroll down to the text.
1. Listening for main ideas
First, just listen to the text, taking notes if you wish. What information can you catch during this first listening?
2. Now listen again and answer the following questions:
- What is Matariki and when is it celebrated this year?
- Which day is a public holiday?
- What appears at this time?
- Fill in the gaps: This is an important time to __________ the past, __________ the present, and __________ the future.
- What do people do during Matariki?
- In Hawai’i, what does Makali’l mean, and when does the group of stars rise?
- What does this year’s theme celebrate?
- How can you see the Matariki and Puanga stars?
3. How do people in your culture celebrate the new year? Tell us about it in the comments box below!
Text
Matariki, the Māori New Year, is celebrated this year from 19 to 22 June, with a public holiday this Friday, 20 June. At this time, the group of stars called Matariki appears in the early morning sky in New Zealand. For Māori, this signals the new year and is an important time to remember the past, celebrate the present, and look forward to the future. People gather together to remember those who have died since the last rising of Matariki, to share kai (food), and to plan for the next year.
This group of stars is well-known around the world. In English it is called Pleiades, an ancient Greek name, or the Seven Sisters, and in Japan it is known as Subaru. In Hawai’i it is known as Makali’i, which means ‘eyes of royalty’, and like in New Zealand, it signals the beginning of the Hawaiian new year when it rises in October or November in the northern hemisphere.
The theme for 2025 is Matariki mā Puanga, or Matariki and Puanga. Puanga is a star near Matariki and is called Rigel in English. Some iwi (that is, tribes) in the North and South Islands look to Puanga as the marker of the Māori New Year. This is mainly because they cannot see Matariki clearly from their area of the country, so they look to the neighbouring star. Thus, the theme this year celebrates the different traditions and regional variations around the country, which all mark the new year. It is about including everyone and celebrating diversity.
It is possible to see Matariki and Puanga without special equipment. Look to the northeast horizon before sunrise. Watch this video to learn more.
If you want to learn more about Matariki and when it became a public holiday, listen to the story from 2024.
Vocabulary
celebrate – to show that something is special
hemisphere – a half of the Earth, especially the half above or below the Equator. New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere
Note: Māori words such as kai and iwi are explained in the text
Answers
a. What is Matariki and when is it celebrated this year?
The Māori New Year; 19 to 22 June
b. Which day is a public holiday?
Friday, 20 June
c. What appears at this time, and at what time of day?
The group of stars called Matariki appears in the early morning sky in New Zealand.
d. Fill in the gaps: This is an important time to remember the past, celebrate the present, and look forward to the future.
e. What do people do during Matariki?
People gather together to remember those who have died since the last rising of Matariki, to share kai (food), and to plan for the next year.
f. In Hawai’i, what does Makali’l mean, and when does the group of stars rise?
It means ‘eyes of royalty’; it rises in October or November in the northern hemisphere.
g. What does this year’s theme celebrate?
The different traditions and regional variations around the country, which all mark the new year. It is about including everyone and celebrating diversity.
h. How can you see the Matariki and Puanga stars?
You don’t need special equipment; look to the northeast horizon before sunrise.