Matariki: New Zealand New Year Festivals

2026.01.13
Writer / 記事を書いた人
Adrian
Newzealand(ニュージーランド)

My name is Adrian. I am from New Zealand.
I like playing tennis. I like fishing too.

Article

Matariki: New Zealand New Year Festivals

▼ 記事の音声を再生

<Let's learn!> 
・the most important…
・A is (are) more popular than B
・A is (are) bigger than B
・A is one of the best B

=====================================

New Zealand has a unique New Year’s festival called Matariki. There are many stars in the night sky, but the most important star cluster for the Maori people is Matariki. When Matariki appears in the winter night sky in June, Maori New Year celebrations begin.

Modern Matariki celebrations like kite flying and light festivals are more popular than traditional New Year celebrations. Matariki light festivals are also bigger than other Maori New Year celebrations. You can enjoy seeing a laser light show. The Rotorua drone light show is one of the best laser light shows in New Zealand.

You can also enjoy eating hangi food. It is the most popular Maori cuisine. They smoke pork, beef, chicken, vegetables, carrots, and sweet potatoes in the ground.

※Image1

Maori dances such as the kapa haka and haka are also performed at these Matariki festivals.

※Image2

【出典】
※Top image
By pbkwee - https://www.flickr.com/photos/rimuhosting/8311767303/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=107406838


※Image1
By Einalem - https://www.flickr.com/photos/einalem/2123097939/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7644505

※Image2
By Henryhbk - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8040881

日本語訳を見る

Key Points

Repeat each word(s) and example sentence(s) after your teacher/tutor.

Key Phrases 重要表現

the most important …

一番重要(大切)な…

The most important season for farmers is Summer.

A is (are) more popular than B

AはBよりも人気がある

Soccer is more popular than tennis in this class.

A is (are) bigger than B

AはBよりも大きい

The sun is bigger than the moon.

A is one of the best B

Aは最高のBのひとつ

This is one of the best movies.

Key Vocabulary 重要単語・熟語

appear

əˈpɪr

現れる、姿を見せる

動詞

to start to be seen.

A rainbow appeared after the rain.

celebration

ˌseləˈbreɪʃn

お祝い、祝賀

名詞

A party or a special event to enjoy a happy occasion.

We had a birthday celebration for my mother.

modern

ˈmɑː.dɚn

現代の、近世の

形容詞

designed and made using the most recent ideas and methods

I like modern art.

Others その他

Matariki

ˌmɑːtəˈriːki

マオリ族の新年、星の集まり

名詞

The Maori name for the Pleiades star cluster; the Maori New Year.

Families spend time together during Matariki.

cluster

ˈklʌs.tɚ

集団、群れ

名詞

a group of similar things that are close together, sometimes surrounding something:

There is a cluster of tall buildings near the station.

Maori

ˈmaʊri

ニュージーランドの先住民、マオリの

名詞

The indigenous (native) people of New Zealand.

Maori culture is an important part of New Zealand history.

laser

ˈleɪ.zɚ

レーザー

名詞

a powerful, narrow beam of light that can be used as a tool to cut metal, to perform medical operations, or to create patterns of light for entertainment:

My cat loves chasing the laser light.

hangi food

ˌhɑːŋi ˈfuːd

マオリの伝統的な蒸し焼き料理

名詞

Traditional Maori food cooked with hot stones in a pit under the ground.

They cook a lot of hangi food for the party.

cuisine

kwɪˈziːn

料理、調理法

名詞

A style of cooking from a specific country or region.

My father loves spicy Thai cuisine.

haka

ˈhɑːkə

マオリの伝統的な踊り

名詞

A traditional Maori dance with shouting and strong movements.

The rugby players performed the haka.

Practice

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentence.

Safety is (___)(___)(___) rule in this factory.

ヒント:the most important…

回答を見る

Safety is (the)(most)(important) rule in this factory.

Coffee (___)(___)(___)(___) tea in my office.

ヒント:is (are) more popular than…

回答を見る

Coffee (is)(more)(popular)(than) tea in my office.

China (___)(___)(___) Japan.

ヒント:is (are) bigger than…

回答を見る

China (is)(bigger)(than) Japan.

This (___)(___)(___)(___)(___) books for children.

ヒント:is one of the best

回答を見る

This (is)(one)(of)(the)(best) books for children.

Article

Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your teacher/tutor.

Matariki: New Zealand New Year Festivals

<Let's learn!> 
・the most important…
・A is (are) more popular than B
・A is (are) bigger than B
・A is one of the best B

=====================================

New Zealand has a unique New Year’s festival called Matariki. There are many stars in the night sky, but the most important star cluster for the Maori people is Matariki. When Matariki appears in the winter night sky in June, Maori New Year celebrations begin.

Modern Matariki celebrations like kite flying and light festivals are more popular than traditional New Year celebrations. Matariki light festivals are also bigger than other Maori New Year celebrations. You can enjoy seeing a laser light show. The Rotorua drone light show is one of the best laser light shows in New Zealand.

You can also enjoy eating hangi food. It is the most popular Maori cuisine. They smoke pork, beef, chicken, vegetables, carrots, and sweet potatoes in the ground.

※Image1

Maori dances such as the kapa haka and haka are also performed at these Matariki festivals.

※Image2

【出典】
※Top image
By pbkwee - https://www.flickr.com/photos/rimuhosting/8311767303/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=107406838


※Image1
By Einalem - https://www.flickr.com/photos/einalem/2123097939/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7644505

※Image2
By Henryhbk - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8040881

Questions

Answer the questions based on the article.

What is New Zealand's unique New Year festival called?

ヒント:New Zealand has a …

回答を見る

It's called Matariki.

What happens when Matariki appears in the night sky?

ヒント:When Matariki appears in the winter night sky …

回答を見る

Maori New Year celebrations begin.

What is hangi food?

ヒント:It is the most …

回答を見る

It is the most popular Maori cuisine.

Discussion

Let’s have a discussion about the theme with your teacher/tutor or classmates.

With your teacher/tutor 先生とのディスカッション

What do you do on New Year’s Day?

I usually ~.

Are there any festivals about stars in Japan?

Yes, there are. We have ~.

What is the most unique Japanese festival, in your opinion? And why?

I think ~ is the most unique. Because~.

With your classmates クラスメートとのディスカッション

What is your favorite festival in Japan?

My favorite festival is ~.

What is your favorite New Year’s food?

My favorite New Year's food is ~.

Do you want to try hangi food? And why?

Yes, I do./No, I don't. Because ~.