Māori Deaf students build digital version of marae to empower community

ākonga Turi Māori (Māori Deaf students) have built the Rūaumoko Marae in Minecraft as a legacy learning platform.

Rūaumoko Marae is a central part of the Māori Deaf community – it is a place where Turi Māori can learn, connect and just be, says senior student Kaylee.

The fusion of learners’ cultural passion and digital skills is helping breathe life back into Rūaumoko Marae and reigniting the ahi kā, burning fire and passion, of the Māori Deaf community.

For the 30th anniversary of the Marae, students have worked together to build the Marae in Minecraft. Not only does the digital version look like the real-world Marae, it also supports the purpose and function of the Marae. 

Māori strategic lead Dr Kathie Rifle (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Porou) at Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education NZ, explains the importance of this project to the community.

“In Aotearoa New Zealand our indigenous Deaf community experience double discrimination and disadvantage as they navigate the experiences of developing a secure identity as both Deaf and Māori.” 

The need to rectify this disadvantage is one of Kathie’s goals in encouraging the Māori Deaf community back to the Marae. 

“I think the key is that this is a place where they can be themselves. They can be Māori Deaf without having to fit into a hearing world, without having to fit into a western world, without having to fit into anybody else’s world.” 

Building a digital legacy

Rūaumoko is a tūrangawaewae for Māori Deaf; a place to feel connected and to grow Māori Deaf identity. The digital marae provides a platform for further growth. 

Nathan Martin, Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education NZ e-learning designer and developer, says building Rūaumoko Marae in Minecraft is an opportunity to continue the learning that has been happening over the past 30 years. 

“The intent of building the Marae was to create a legacy learning platform so students to come will build on top of what already has been built. Deaf history, Māori history. 

Senior student at Ko Taka Reo, Kaylee,  discussing in New Zealand Sign Langauage the importance of creating the Deaf Marae in Minecraft.

“But what I like about it is that the students are owning the learning and they’re building it and they’re learning at the same time, and they’re doing it together,” he says. 

“The Māori world and the digital world can come together – and Minecraft is a great example of that,” says Kaylee.

She says she has enjoyed the project and is thankful to tutor Nathan Campbell and ImpactED facilitator, Wilj Dekkers, for helping the students develop their skills – all while having fun.

“They’ve taught us how to figure out for ourselves, how to get to grips with the digital Minecraft platform and build a whole world. It’s been really hard work,” she says.

“The use of free platforms like Minecraft to upskill digital capabilities is harnessing students’ existing passion as consumers of tech, but getting them into the driving seat, where they are developing their own coding skills, their abilities to create online content, and solve real-world challenges,” Wilj explains. 

“Building new skills and confidence will open doors to exciting career options in the future.”

Students working on the Minecraft project at Rūaumoko Deaf Marae.

Bringing together the digital world and te ao Māori

Many of the features in the physical Marae can be seen in the Minecraft Marae – from the Marae ātea, to the tukutuku panels and carvings. The digital Marae also enables people to interact with NPCs (non-playable characters) based on kaumātua and tūpuna of the Marae, who share stories using New Zealand Sign Language or subtitles.

Nathan is proud that this is a project built by Māori for Māori. 

“They’ve started a place for them to come together and connect: a place to belong; feel safe; a space to collaborate; a space to learn – and it’s all wrapped up in identity.”

The whanaungatanga, kotahitanga and manaakitanga involved in this project is evident. Senior student Callan says he has loved being able to work with his peers.

“I really love to work together, like being with my mates and discussing everything in sign and agreeing on things. The teamwork was the best part.”

Kaumātua Whiti Ronaki says Minecraft is something new but “really good” and believes digital learning is positive for Turi Māori.

“They’re learning how to use computers, what they are, and they can use it to learn about their iwi and about the land, where they’re from,” he says.

It’s a sentiment echoed by residential youth worker Eric Matthews (an alumni of the Deaf school himself) who says he would like to see more and more visual ways to talk about Māori stories and Māori myths. 

“A lot of people just haven’t accessed that information about te ao Māori. So yes, I think technology is very important, especially if we can use sign language and use visual ways of presenting that information to support our children to learn about their world.”

This is a powerful example of how the insights of te ao Māori and the power of digital and data can be successfully woven together, one of the priorities outlined in Connected Ako: Digital and Data for Learning, which will guide education agency work plans in the coming decade.

What’s next? Kathie and the team are exploring ways to build on the project in the years ahead – new content developed through a powerful te ao Māori lens whilst further expanding students’ technical skills and championing STEM career pathways.

“Where there are resources and technology available that help to strengthen language, culture and identity – that is the key to educational success.”

• Watch a video about the Deaf Marae Minecraft story(external link)
  
• Explore the Rūaumoko Deaf Marae in Minecraft on Ko Taku Reo’s website(external link) 

Classroom support

Kaylee explains how stories of the students, kaumātua and tūpuna of the Marae, are shared within the Minecraft platform, using New Zealand Sign Language or subtitles.

Minecraft Education has features built specifically for learning environments to support collaboration, assessment, coding, and more. There are more than 600 standards-aligned lessons to engage students across the curriculum. The Rūaumoko Marae in Minecraft project has been developed with MoE accredited provider ImpactED, through Digital Storytelling Aotearoa. Read more at dsta.co.nz.
Professional Learning and Development (PLD) providers are great at helping teachers navigate these lessons and can tailor the PLD to teachers, sharing tips and tricks to use in the classroom, and building confidence and competence in teachers and students using the platforms.

Te ao Māori in digital design

This is an example of creating a culturally responsive environment where the insights of te ao Māori are woven with the power of digital and data.

Other important actions in this area include:

Digital initiatives provide many opportunities to work alongside Māori to shape education. The potential of digital to support mātauranga Māori and advance te reo Māori is already apparent. There is scope to bring these opportunities to more ākonga. 

Whānau, hapū and iwi have a critical interest in education and education outcomes for ākonga. For iwi and hapū, tikanga will determine best practice in appropriate digital contexts. 

When using international tools and platforms seek to provide opportunity for te ao Māori, in keeping with partnership and Te Tiriti. 

Inclusively designed technology can open doors, enhancing the voices and views of those not currently well served by the education system.

Introducing Te Puna Kōrero:
Celebrating stories of digital success in education

In the coming months Education Gazette will offer a series of articles
highlighting digital success stories from across the education sector.

Stories like this one, of the talented students creating the Rūaumoko Deaf Marae digital legacy platform, will be regularly showcased. 

We will introduce you to students and educators from early childhood, compulsory schooling, alternative education, and tertiary. 

You will meet Ngakau (who is learning to drive through virtual reality simulation at Waimate College), Amethyst (who’s developing a student-led Maker Space for the Manurewa community through Te Ara Poutama Alternative Education Centre), and Romana from Digimatua (who is building digital skills for Pacific families to be able to better support their children’s education), and many others. 

Keep an eye out for the story where Ginni Orr, e-learning integrator, discusses the impact of her own Professional Learning and Development journey inspiring students at Avonside Girls’ High School.

All articles and videos  will be available online at gazette.education.nz(external link).