Born, TeWaaka Konui in Taumarunul, New Zealand on October 17th 1979 TeWaa was brought up on a sheep and cattle farm by his Grandparents Waaka and Betty who adopted him. He became increasingly interested in the natural world and with a healthy curiosity soaked up all he could. Being an only child he was also given every opportunity to let loose his imagination through plenty of paper, pencils and space.
From 1993 to 1996 he attended Auckland Grammar School as a Tibbs House boarder where he took part in many extra curricular activities including playing both tennis and rugby and leading the Auckland Grammar school Maori Cultural Group which took part in the annual Pacific Islands Festival. He even managed a big picture in the New Zealand Herald leading Tibbs House in a haka to support their 1st xv rugby team against Kings College. It was here he took fine arts as one of his subjects to which he excelled picking up 8th in New Zealand for Combined Schools and 6th Form Certificate in 1996.
Living in both Taupo and Dunedin not driven by any certain direction TeWaa eventually moved to Hamilton in 2000 to be with his girlfriend and their new son Nathan. It was here discovered his love of gardening and again art after their relationship ended in 2002.
The next few years were the dawn of TeWaa’s talents sparked with conflicts of fatherhood and overwhelming grief and passion over the state of acceptance, human population and its impact upon the world. His release was through his paintings. With works like Pain, Ignorance, Shepherds’ warning and reflection it was easy to see the more blatant anger or caution built up but their was also an underlying message of hope if only he or we chose to believe it.
In 2005 TeWaa was struck down by a flesh-eating disease called Necratising fasciitis. He woke with a sore arm and thanks to a chain of fortunate events and the quick thinking of his friends he made it to the Waikato Hospital Emergency Department by ambulance later that day where they successfully operated to save his life. After 4 months in hospital receiving numerous operations and skin grafts TeWaa was released minus a finger and a lot of movement on his right hand. He did however say that he’d gained a lot of cool scars and would doubt he’d ever lose a competition comparing them and was also extremely happy he’s left handed. Although adding to his daily struggle TeWaa continued to paint and although being told his brush with death may have been because of his gardening hobby, he continued that also.
Now living in his current address his gardening skills flourished. Until now he had made a custom greenhouse to protect his hundreds of pot plants from the elements but now he had a section to play with. This interest in gardening combined with his creative nature lead TeWaa to pursue a Diploma in Technology for Landscape Design at The Waikato Institute of Technology.
TeWaa graduated with his Diploma in 2009 and has since held his first art exhibition at the Meteor Centre in Hamilton where he displayed a selected few of his ‘Welcome to Reality series with the inclusion of a scrap metal frame for Shepherds’ warning and a 1.5 meter diameter steel globe suspended from the ceiling as the frame for 28 small paintings known as ‘Will we…?’
TeWaa is currently an active father to Nathan, coaching his son’s rugby team and marketing his new business Wormhole Creations which combines both his passions of art and landscaping into one business concept with the interest of seeking a more sculptural product line as well as painting and design to help fulfill his dream of sharing his imagination and contributing to world awareness.
“Individualism is an expression most of us have not pushed yet but the idea of difference I think most of us flirt with. If only I could create as fast as I can dream.” TeWaa says. And with a lingered thought continues “but then if I believe what I want to believe then it’s only a matter of time.”
Imagination is the only limit.
