Such great choice. So many options. How was Raukura Turei ever going to choose her tertiary pathway?
“There’s the monetary side of the scholarship, which was very beneficial, coming from a [sole parent] family with little money. But for me, the benefits from relationships made with fellow students who also studied architecture … that opened doors.”
Architecture beckoned. So did art. And she had an equal aptitude for engineering, too.
So what did the A-grade Auckland Girls’ Grammar and Kahurangi scholar, painter and kapa haka performer do? She applied for all three schools at the University of Auckland – and was offered placements in each. At the same time, Raukura had applied for a number of study grants – a Keystone Scholarship among them. And again, she was offered more than one – Keystone included.
An Auckland Girls’ careers adviser had helped Raukura navigate her way through the scholarship application process (interestingly, it was her painting, design and art history teacher Marte Szirmay who encouraged her to pursue architecture at university). Now, 18 years later, and with a Master of Architecture (Prof) from the University of Auckland, Raukura has successfully melded all her talents. She is both an artist and an architect. And a mother as well (she and partner Moko – a Tā Moko artist – have two pre-schoolers).
It is from their co-housing development home – which Raukura had a hand in designing – in Auckland that she is talking today. Baby Tōmairangi adds a gleeful chirrup to the conversation; sister Hinauri is at Kōhanga Reo.“Whānau comes first, and everything works around it,” she says.
By her own admission, there’s always been more on her plate than what one would ordinarily take on. Currently on parental leave from her role as a principal at architecture practice Monk Mackenzie, she also maintains a studio practice for her stellar artistic pursuits at the Corban Estate Arts Centre in West Auckland.
Things have changed markedly since Raukura first stepped foot in architecture school. Back then, she was one of but a few Māori students, and there was little in the way of Māori or Pasifika influences in the programme. Now, through Monk Mackenzie and the work won through her presence, she is able to fulfil her dream of committing herself fully to kaupapa Māori projects
The Keystone connections go way beyond the regular financial contributions. Mary Henry, a fellow Keystone alumnus and a principal registered architect at Jasmax (who features on this site) is both a dear friend and a mentor, says Raukura.
To illustrate: “There’s the monetary side of the scholarship, which was very beneficial, coming from a [sole parent] family with little money. But for me, the benefits from relationships made with fellow students who also studied architecture … that opened doors.” That support continued through motherhood, “and it also led to my first architecture job while I was still at university.”
With the extended assistance of Keystone, Raukura completed the first year of her Masters of Architecture at the University of Dublin: “character-building stuff,” she says. After registration in 2015 she also spent time in New York City, where she pursued another talent: acting.
On returning to NZ, Raukura realised she needed painting in her life to fulfil an emotional perspective. She currently manages to combine both art and architecture by having at least one dedicated painting day a week, alongside her role as a principal at Monk Mackenzie. Her art adorns the walls of many significant galleries around the country.
“I haven’t been afraid to take risks,” says Raukura. “Something my mother instilled in me was a sense of independence – especially in terms of financial independence. So that’s what enabled me to travel after high-school and jump into whatever creative path beckoned.”
It’s advice she would impart to her younger self: “Enjoy yourself as you are absolutely enough. Hold to your values and what sits right with you and you can completely design your future.”
