University of Auckland

Damon Salesa, and a number of students from the university, had been working on a Pacific studies textbook for high school students for the past 18 months because there is currently not one available in New Zealand.

However, that had been put on hold due to Covid-19 and led to Mr Salesa using the lockdown as an opportunity to reach Pacific high school students with online content that is 900 seconds or 15 minutes long called 'Pacific Level Up'.

The university is establishing a stand alone facility in Manukau to better cater for local communities, where a large percentage of New Zealand's Pacific population lives.

It has ended its association with the Manukau Institute of Technology and will soon have a facility which Pro Vice-Chancellor Damon Salesa said was designed for 21st century engagement with a critical community.

Dr Salesa said that would include teacher education.

Muller talks about architecture from an Oceanic perspective.

Does being Sāmoan shape your approach to architecture?

I am Sāmoan, and a member of the broader Oceanic community, and that shapes everything. I’m very interested in centring Oceanic voices, Oceanic spaces, and Oceanic narratives. It’s part of my genealogy. It’s a region that is rich, full of knowledge and ways of knowing and I love living in it, so yes, it does shape how I approach architecture.