Charmaine 'Ilaiū Talei
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Charmaine 'Ilaiū Talei | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ōtara, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Alma mater | University of Auckland |
| Occupations | Architect, academic |
| Buildings | Fuaʻamotu International Airport |
Charmaine 'Ilaiū Talei is an academic and registered architect from Aotearoa New Zealand. She teaches at the University of Auckland, and as an architect has worked on many buildings within the Pacific region including the refurbishment of the Fua'amotu International Airport in Tonga. She started working in the architectural profession in 2009.
‘Ilaiū Talei grew up in Ōtara, Auckland, and is one of eight children.[1] She has Tongan heritage - her parents are Falakika Lose and ‘Ahoia ‘Ilaiū, both from Tonga. Her mother's Tongan heritage is from Houma, Tongatapu, and she also has links to other places in the Pacific, such as Uvea (Wallis and Futuna) and Samoa. Her father's Tongan heritage is from Tatakamōtonga village in Mu’a, Tongatapu and he also has family links to Ha’apai and Fulaga, Lau Islands, Fiji.[1] Her parents came to New Zealand in the early 1970s from Tonga.[1] Her father was a pastor at the New Zealand Assemblies of God church.[1]
'Ilaiū Talei attended Auckland Girls Grammar. While at school she did work experience at Pete Bossley Architects.[2] She completed an undergraduate degree in architecture from University of Auckland in 2006[3] and went on to masters study there too finishing in 2008. It is stated she was the first Pacifika person at the University of Auckland to graduate with a research-based Master of Architecture. Professor Deidre Brown was her masters supervisor. In 2016 'Ilaiū Talei graduated with a PhD from the Aboriginal research Centre at the School of Architecture and Planning University of Queensland.[3][2] Her thesis is titled From thatch to concrete block: architectural transformations of Tongan fale (2016).[4]
In an interview with Karamia Muller in the book Making Space 'Ilaiū Talei acknowledges her parents especially her father in their support of her studies, she said: "My Dad has been such a key role in terms of research and education".[3]
