Marsden students visit Raukawa Marae

As part of our future focused learning programme, we are committed to ensuring that when Marsden students leave school, they are able to participate confidently in the unique culture of Aotearoa, New Zealand.  To that end, our Year 10 students enjoyed an immersive cultural experience at the Raukawa Marae in Otaki.  Over the two days and noho (overnight stay), they participated in a range of workshops where they gained a greater understanding of kaitiakitanga, the process and practices of protecting and looking after the environment and tikanga (protocol). 

Marsden students at Raukawa Marae, Otaki

The girls were privileged to work with poet Apirana Taylor, learn raranga (weaving) and enjoyed some exceptional performances from the local students.  We came away with a wonderful taonga – treasure of our own: a school haka, which will be shared with the whole school.  The skills built over the two days were invaluable as the girls enriched their cultural understanding and strengthened their resilience in experiences that were sometimes outside their comfort zone.  We are deeply appreciative of the warmth and hospitality shown to our girls by the community at Raukawa.

As a follow up, we held a weekend whanaungatanga – a community meeting for families to share their aspirations for their children in aspects of te ao and te reo Māori.  We were appreciative of hearing a range of views, from those deeply immersed in Māori culture to those with limited or no experience.  We appreciate the input of the wider Marsden community as we strive to enrich the cultural understanding of our girls.