Dr. Telesia Kalavite
Mālō e lelei. Te Tumu is very pleased to introduce our new lecturer, Dr. Telesia Kalavite, who has just joined our staff. Telesia will be teaching in the Pacific Islands Studies programme, as well as in the Indigenous Development programme.
Dr Kalavite is a professional Tongan educator who has taught in Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia at primary, secondary and tertiary institutions for many years. Her tertiary education working experiences were at Tonga Institute of Education, Waikato Institute of Technology, The University of Waikato, The University of Southern Queensland and now The University of Otago. Her qualifications include: Teachers’ Certificates (TC), a Diploma in Education (DipEd), a Bachelor of Arts (BA), a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCertEd), a Master of Education (MEd), a Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership (PGDipEDL), and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Whilst in the teaching profession Telesia worked for the development of her own Tongan people as well as Pacific peoples’ communities. She is a passionate community person who actively participated in many youth, church, university, community groups and non-government organisations.
Ko e Ki’i Pilinisi’ (2018). Dr Kalavite’s translation of Le Petit Prince.
She believes in grassroots development to alleviate the harsh conditions of disadvantage. Her passion and research interest are in Pacific and indigenous educational development worldwide in particular New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific region.
Dr Kalavite is also a noted translator of works between the English and Tongan languages. One of her most recent works is Ko e Ki’i Pilinisi’, a translation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s famous novella, Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince). We are excited that she will be offering an introductory Tongan language paper in Summer School next year.
We are delighted to welcome Telesia, and her husband Sione, to Te Tumu, and to Dunedin.
