Nau mai haere mai ki Rūaumoko Marae. He tino ataahua te whare o Rūaumoko, he tino ataahua ngā tauira i roto i te whare o Rūaumoko!

Tēnā koutou katoa, ka nui te aroha ki a koutou!

Rūaumoko has been quiet for the last couple of years and it's time for the rumbling to return and the fire to be re-ignited for our Turi Māori students, the Māori Deaf Community and all our Ko Taku Reo whānau.

Rūaumoko Marae officially opened on the 4th of December 1992, and at the time of writing we're looking forward to a weekend of celebrations from the 2nd to the 4th of December. (By the time you read and watch this it will have happened - find out how it went on our social channels!)

On Friday the 2nd we have an all day school celebration to mark the 30th anniversary - time to give thanks and honour our Turi Māori community, the driving force who have made Rūaumoko what it is today. Our Turi Māori community will continue their own festivities on the Saturday and Sunday.

Throughout the year, Rūaumoko has been filled with life. In September our Auckland-based senior students, from Tū Kōkiri and our bilingual high school provisions, came together for a noho to create digital learning resources for current and future students. It was incredibly special to see the creation of two student-led projects demonstrating the remarkable history of this marae. These will be showcased during our anniversary weekend.

One is a historical documentary, capturing the people and stories of Rūaumoko. The other is an engaging digital learning space centred around a virtual Rūaumoko Marae built in Minecraft. All our students can now access this resource online to learn about their marae.

Next year we'll extend our learning to include Tuawera on the Sumner site in Christchurch. Our students take pride in their marae and they understand what it means to be part of this strong, close, and unique community. For our Turi Māori learners, knowing their roots and having a place to stand is foundational to embracing their identity as Ngāti Turi.

As we look ahead to 2023, we're excited about all the new opportunities and events that will happen at Rūaumoko and Tuawera to bring our Deaf Māori spaces to life again.