Ruakere was born in Hāwera but lived in Ōpunake until her family moved to New Plymouth when she was eight years old.
[2] Ruakere started out as a presenter for popular children's television shows such as What Now in New Zealand in the late nineties and later on ITV' s SMTV Live in 2003.
[2] Her acting career began with minor roles in the films River Queen (2005) and Sione's Wedding (2006).
[3] From 2011 to 2014, Ruakere played the character of Roimata Ngatai on Shortland Street, her most notable television role to date.
[5] She and dancing partner Enrique Johns made it to the grand final, where they were first of the four teams to be eliminated.