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Raukura Turei
New Zealand architect, artist and actor From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Raukura Maria Turei (born 1987) is a New Zealand artist, actor and architectural designer. She works with Māori iwi 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.
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Early life and education
Turei was born in Auckland in 1987.[1] She is Māori and affiliates with the iwi (tribes) of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and Ngā Rauru Kītahi.[2][3] Her father is Māori and her mother is Pākehā. Her mother supported Turei and her sister to learn the Māori language from a young age, and learnt alongside them.[4]
Turei studied architecture at the University of Auckland, graduating with a Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree in 2009 and a Master of Architecture with first-class honours in 2012.[5] In 2015, she registered as an architect with the New Zealand Registered Architects Board.[6]
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.[7]
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Career
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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'.[8] In New Zealand her work has been exhibited at the Dowse Art Museum (Wellington), Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki (CoCA) (Christchurch), Objectspace (Auckland), Te Pātaka Toi - The Adam Art Gallery (Wellington), Bartley and Co (Wellington) and Sumer Contemporary, Tauranga.[8][9]
Designers and artists that inspire Turei include Mata Aho Collective, Kauae Raro Research Collective, ĀKAU, Pacific Sisters, My Art Aunties and Anne Lacaton.[10]
Internationally, Turei has had artwork exhibited at the Tokyo Art Fair (2019), the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair and Day01 Gallery (also in Sydney).[9]
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'.[11]
The Pacific Portraits is a series Turei created whilst on residency in Rarotonga.[12]
Turei is a resident artist at Corban Estate Arts Centre in West Auckland.[9]
Architecture
Turei has worked for Stevens Lawson Architects[13] and Cheshire Architects in her architectural career.[14]
Turei worked on the redevelopment of Q Theatre early on in her architectural practice. Her tole was with Te Rōpū Reo Whakahaere, a Māori consultant group, working alongside architect Pip Cheshire. Turei observed there was "a level of engagement in te ao Māori that enriched the way the building is used".[14]
As of 2023, Turei was working as a principal at Monk Mackenzie Architects in Auckland.[6] Her work at Monk Mackenzie Architects involves leading papakāinga (Māori housing), marae planning (Māori communal places) and community-focused developments with iwi (Māori nation groups).[6] A building that she says is influential to her architectural practice is the Teshima Art Museum by Ryue Nishizawa in Japan,[15] and an architect she admires is Lina Bo Bardi.[12]

Turei is a member of the Architecture + Women New Zealand network.[13] She was on the jury panel in 2020 for the Architecture + Women NZ Dulux Awards alongside Lori Brown, Julia Gatley and Andrew Tu’inukuafe.[16]
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.[15][17] 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".[18]
In 2023, Turei was awarded the Wirihana Leadership Award at the A+W NZ 2023 Dulux Awards. [19]
Acting
The Dead Lands, a New Zealand action film directed by Toa Fraser, and Find Me a Māori Bride are two screen works Turei has appeared in.[12] Turei was a finalist in the 2014 Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards for her role in The Dead Lands.[20]
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Awards
- Manukau Urban Maori Authority Best Supporting Actress (2014), finalist for her role in The Dead Lands - Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards[20]
- Student & Academic Spatial (2012), student Raukura Turei, tutor Lynda Simmons - Best Awards, The Designers Institute of New Zealand[21]
- Residential category - Ōwairaka House project (2020) New Zealand Interior Awards[15][17]
- Emerging Design Professional Award (2022) - New Zealand Interior Awards[18]
- Wirihana Leadership Award (2023).[3]
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)[22][2]
- Takoto ai te marino (16 September 2023 – 10 March 2024) (solo exhibition), The Dowse Art Museum, Wellington[8]
- Artist residency, Rarotonga (date unspecified)[12]
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References
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