Aotearoa needs more Pacific representation within architecture profession, leading scholar says

Aotearoa requires increased Pacific representation in the architecture profession to ensure the creation of spaces that truly reflect the needs and values of Pacific communities, according to a leading scholar in the field. Dr. Albert Refiti, a professor of art, design, and material culture at AUT, has dedicated decades to researching and teaching architecture in New Zealand.

“

As a Pacific Islander of Samoan descent, it's been really lonely as one of the more senior Pacific people working in the area, until maybe 10 to 15 years ago. But there is now a steady group of young Pacific people coming into the university to study architecture, and in practice.

Dr. Refiti, who is of Samoan descent, noted that for a long time, he felt isolated as one of the few senior Pacific individuals in the architecture field. However, he observes a positive trend with a growing number of young Pacific individuals now pursuing architecture studies and entering the profession.

Despite this encouraging development, Dr. Refiti emphasizes that Pacific people remain significantly underrepresented in a profession that plays a crucial role in shaping how Pacific communities live, work, and interact. He points out that many homes historically designed in Aotearoa have not adequately considered the unique ways Pacific families use and share living spaces. "As Pacific peoples, we tend to use houses quite differently, and to date, there's been very few types of housing that have catered to our communities," he explained.

“

As Pacific peoples, we tend to use houses quite differently, and to date, there's been very few types of housing that have catered to our communities.

Traditionally, houses were often designed with conventional layouts, optimized for real estate rather than the communal living patterns of Pacific families. Dr. Refiti recalled that early Pacific migrants often adapted garages in three- or four-bedroom houses to serve as informal meeting places for extended families, a practice that has evolved into using homes for significant events like funerals. He believes that increased Pacific representation within the profession will lead to the design of more appropriate housing solutions.

“

They were usually lumped in with everyone else in a very conventional box, with square metrics and the distribution of functions of bedrooms and lounges that are based on a very conventional real estate optimisation of space.

New Zealand is showing a greater willingness to integrate Māori and Pacific perspectives into architecture and urban design, influenced by the work of Māori architects and designers. Dr. Refiti cited projects like the Fale Pasifika at the University of Auckland and the proposed Fale Malae in Wellington as examples of this evolving approach, which aims to foster spaces where the Pacific sense of self, characterized by interaction, closeness, and connection, can thrive.

“

Now, as Pacific communities, when we first came to New Zealand, the three-bedroom or four-bedroom house in the suburb had a garage, and that garage was very important in terms of functioning as the meeting house for the extended families.