Born in
Gisborne, New Zealand, she attended
Gisborne Girls' High School and was Head
Prefect in 2001. She moved to
Auckland to attend the
Unitec School of Performing Arts. Turei is of
Ngāti Porou tribal ancestry, through her father. Turei made her stage debut at the age of nine when she played a workhouse boy in a local production of
Oliver Twist. At high school in
Gisborne, she had distinctive achievements in oratory, music, drama and korero
Māori. Turei released an album,
Empty Room in 2006, available for preview on
Myspace. She currently resides in
Auckland, New Zealand. ==Filmography==