Dahlia Malaeulu
MALAEULU, Dahlia (1983 – ) is a Wellington-born Samoan author and educator based in Wainuiomata. After completing a Bachelor of Arts at Victoria University of Wellington, Malaeulu obtained a Postgraduate Degree in Primary Teaching from Wellington Teachers College and began her career in teaching. She is the mother of two boys, who inspired her to write her first children’s books.
In 2019, she released the first books of the Mila’s My Gagana series. A set of three early language readers (Malia Shares, Lagi Spies and Mase's Room) for pre-school and junior primary aged children, the series combines Malaeulu's love for her tamaiti, her Samoan culture and her passion for learning. The books are designed to be rich literacy resources for all children, families and teachers in order to support and develop the learning of basic Gagana Sāmoa (the Samoan language).
In 2021, she authored a board book for Te Papa Press, Going to Te Papa | Asiasiga ‘i le Falemata‘aga i Te Papa.
As the first Pasifika author to have authored stories that have been published across all schooling levels, Malaeulu also created the Mila’s My Aganu‘u series, the first Pasifika children’s picture books in the world written, edited, illustrated, designed and published by an all-Pasifika team.
Malaeulu is a passionate educator at heart and reading advocate, driven by enabling tamaiti to confidently succeed as Pasifika. She visits schools regularly on behalf of Storylines and Read NZ Te Pou Muramura’s Writers in Schools programme.
Links
Interviews on RNZ in 2019 and 2020
Don't you want to be Sāmoan? Dahlia writes for E-Tangata
Dahlia Malaeulu answers some questions from Lynfield Kāhui Ako staff and students
