St Bede's College, Christchurch - Awa Run 2025

Nau mai ki te Awa Run! It's that time of the year to get ready for the Awa Run where students from schools in the National Network of Marist Schools (NNMS) will be running 102km over three days to help reduce educational inequality in Aotearoa.

The Awa Run was started by Cullinane College (Whanganui) in 2017 and to date has raised over $40,000 to support the work of ‘Next Door’, a programme that partners with remote communities to provide further educational opportunities for their rangatahi.

Across three days, around 60 year ten students and staff will run from Raetihi to Whanganui along the beautiful and historic Whanganui River Road. Participants will be running 20km daily in ‘legs’ of 5km at a time. The Whanganui River Road is remote, rugged, and isolated. It begins by Mount Ruapehu and twists and turns its way down to Pipiriki, where it then follows alongside the Whanganui River ‘Te Awa Tupua’ before the final run into Cullinane College.

While students will be challenged by the sheer physical endurance needed to complete the event, they will also be supported by local hapori and marae that will house, feed, and educate them on the history of the local area.

E rere kau mai te awa nui

Mai I te Kāhui Maunga ki Tangaroa

Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au!

As the river flows from the mountain to the sea,

I am the river, and the river is me!