Raukura Maria Turei (born 1987) is a New Zealand artist, actor and architectural designer. She works with

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

to design community-focused developments at the architectural practice Monk Mackenzie Architects. Her paintings have been exhibited throughout New Zealand, and she appeared in the New Zealand film ''

The Dead Lands ''The Dead Lands'' is a 2014 New Zealander action film directed by Toa Fraser. It was number 1 at the New Zealand box office when it was released. It was screened in the Special Presentations section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festiv ...

.''

Early life and education

Turei was born in Auckland in 1987. She is Māori and affiliates with the iwi (tribes) of

Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki is a Māori people, Māori tribe that is based in the area around Clevedon, New Zealand, Clevedon, part of the Auckland region (''Tāmaki'' in the Māori language). It is one of the twelve members of the Hauraki Collective ...

and Ngā Rauru Kītahi. Her father is Māori and her mother is

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

. Her mother supported Turei and her sister to learn the Māori language from a young age, and learnt alongside them. Turei studied architecture at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, graduating with a Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree in 2009 and a

Master of Architecture The Master of Architecture (M.Arch. or MArch) is a graduate professional degree in architecture qualifying the graduate to move through the various stages of professional accreditation (internship, exams) that result in receiving a license. Ove ...

with first-class honours in 2012. In 2015, she registered as an architect with the

New Zealand Registered Architects Board The New Zealand Registered Architects Board (NZRAB), is the authority in New Zealand that assesses, registers, monitors and disciplines architects in New Zealand. It gains its authority from the Registered Architects Act 2005, and replaced the Archi ...

. In an interview with Dale Husband in 2023, Turei stated that painting was her first love, but she listened to an influential teacher who steered her in the direction of architecture.

Career

Art practice

Turei has an art practice creating paintings, often utilising natural materials including iron sand and pigments from different landscapes. Turei's painting has been described as a 'journey in reconnecting with her

whakapapa Genealogy is a fundamental principle in Māori culture, termed specifically in this context as ''whakapapa'' (, , lit. 'layering'). Reciting one's '' whakapapa'' proclaims one's identity among the Māori, places oneself in a wider context, and ...

'. In New Zealand her work has been exhibited at the

Dowse Art Museum The Dowse Art Museum is a municipal art gallery in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Opening in 1971 in the Lower Hutt CBD, The Dowse occupies a stand-alone building adjacent to other municipal facilities. The building was completely remodelled in 2 ...

(Wellington), Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki (CoCA) (Christchurch),

Objectspace Objectspace is a public art gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It opened in 2004 and is dedicated to the fields of craft, applied arts and design. Organisation Objectspace's founding chair was jeweller Warwick Freeman. The gallery's founding dir ...

(Auckland), Te Pātaka Toi - The Adam Art Gallery (Wellington), Bartley and Co (Wellington) and Sumer Contemporary, Tauranga. Designers and artists that inspire Turei include

Mata Aho Collective The Mataaho Collective is a group of four New Zealand artists: Erena Baker, Sarah Hudson, Bridget Reweti and Terri Te Tau. They are known for their large scale fibre-based artwork. In 2024 the Mataaho Collective received the Golden Lion award ...

, Kauae Raro Research Collective, ĀKAU, Pacific Sisters, My Art Aunties and

Anne Lacaton Anne Lacaton (born 2 August 1955) is a French architect and educator. She runs the architectural practice Lacaton & Vassal, with Jean-Philippe Vassal. The pair were jointly awarded the 2021 Pritzker Prize. Early life and education She was b ...

. Internationally, Turei has had artwork exhibited at the Tokyo Art Fair (2019), the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair and Day01 Gallery (also in Sydney). In 2018 Turei created on site at the Adam Art Gallery in Wellington an artwork called ''Te poho o Hine-Ruhi,'' for the exhibition ''The earth looks upon us Ko Papatuanuku te matua o te tangata'' created with 'clay, acrylic, and water on digital print'. The ''Pacific Portraits'' is a series Turei created whilst on residency in

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...

. Turei is a resident artist at

Corban Estate Arts Centre Corban Estate Arts Centre is an arts precinct in West Auckland, New Zealand. Established in 2002 at the site of the Mt Lebanon Vineyard and Winery, the arts centre provides creative production, theatre and gallery space to New Zealand artists. ...

in West Auckland.

Architecture

Turei has worked for Stevens Lawson Architects and Cheshire Architects in her architectural career. Turei worked on the redevelopment of

Q Theatre The Q Theatre was a British theatre located near Kew Bridge in Brentford, west London, which operated between 1924 and 1958. It was built on the site of the former Kew Bridge Studios. The theatre, seating 490 in 25 rows with a central aisle, wa ...

early on in her architectural practice. Her tole was with Te Rōpū Reo Whakahaere, a Māori consultant group, working alongside architect

Pip Cheshire Philip Maxwell Cheshire (born 28 July 1950) is a New Zealand architect. One of the founding directors of Jasmax, he was awarded the New Zealand Institute of Architects NZIA Gold Medal, Gold Medal in 2013. Early life and education Cheshire was ...

. Turei observed there was "a level of engagement in te ao Māori that enriched the way the building is used". As of 2023, Turei was working as a principal at Monk Mackenzie Architects in Auckland. Her work at Monk Mackenzie Architects involves leading papakāinga (Māori housing),

marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

planning (Māori communal places) and community-focused developments with

(

nation groups). A building that she says is influential to her architectural practice is the Teshima Art Museum by

Ryue Nishizawa is a Japanese architect based in Tokyo. A graduate of Yokohama National University, he established his own firm, Office of Ryue Nishizawa, in 1997. In 1995, he co-founded the firm SANAA (Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates) with architect Kazu ...

in Japan, and an architect she admires is

Lina Bo Bardi Lina Bo Bardi, born Achillina Bo (5 December 1914 – 20 March 1992), was an Italian-born Brazilian modernist architect. A prolific architect and designer, she devoted her working life, most of it spent in Brazil, to promoting the social and cult ...

. Turei is a member of the Architecture + Women New Zealand network. She was on the jury panel in 2020 for the

Architecture + Women NZ Dulux Awards The Architecture + Women NZ Dulux Awards is a tri-annual set of awards which recognise the contribution of women to the field of architecture in New Zealand. The awards recognise full bodies of work and community connections. The awards were firs ...

alongside Lori Brown, Julia Gatley and Andrew Tu’inukuafe. In 2020, Turei won the residential category at the Interior Awards, a New Zealand-based architecture award. In 2021, Turei was a judge for the awards, and in 2022 won the Emerging Design Professional Award. The jury said: "Her cohesive, holistic projects demonstrate a pursuit of excellence at the highest level, within both te ao Māori and the built environment". In 2023, Turei was awarded the Wirihana Leadership Award at the A+W NZ 2023 Dulux Awards.

Acting

''The Dead Lands,'' a New Zealand

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

directed by

Toa Fraser Toa Fraser (born 1975) is a New Zealand born playwright and film director. His first feature film, ''No. 2 (film), No. 2'', starring Ruby Dee won the Audience Award (World Dramatic) at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. His second, ''Dean Spanley'' ...

, and ''Find Me a Māori Bride'' are two screen works Turei has appeared in. Turei was a finalist in the 2014 Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards for her role in ''The Dead Lands.''

Awards

* Manukau Urban Maori Authority Best Supporting Actress (2014), finalist for her role in ''The Dead Lands -'' Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards * Student & Academic Spatial (2012), student Raukura Turei, tutor Lynda Simmons - Best Awards, The Designers Institute of New Zealand * Residential category - Ōwairaka House project (2020) New Zealand Interior Awards * Emerging Design Professional Award (2022) - New Zealand Interior Awards * Wirihana Leadership Award (2023).

Selected exhibitions

* ''He Whare Tangata'' (2013) - with Elisapeta Heta & Lynda Simmons, Between Silos A+W Exhibition, Auckland * ''Whare in the Bush'' (2014) (with four others), Warkworth * ''The Grief Series'' (2017), Miss Crabb HQ, Auckland * ''Untitled (pending welcome)'' (2017), Objectspace, Auckland * ''SELF'' (2017), Allpress Studio, Auckland * ''Mark Work'' (2021) - group exhibition, featuring a multi-paneled artwork called ''Te Poho o Hine-Moana'' (2021), Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki (CoCA) (Christchurch) and Objectspace (Auckland) (touring exhibition) * ''Takoto ai te marino'' (16 September 2023 – 10 March 2024) (solo exhibition), The Dowse Art Museum, Wellington * Artist residency, Rarotonga (date unspecified)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turei, Raukura 1987 births Living people New Zealand architects New Zealand women architects Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki people Ngā Rauru people University of Auckland alumni New Zealand Māori architects