Tangi ke, tangi ke, tangi ke rava
Kia Orana
Toku ingoa ko Teokotai Paitai
No Rarotonga, Mangaia, ‘Āmoa e Scotland mai au.
Ka no’o au i konei i Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa.

Born and bred in Central Auckland, Teokotai still calls Ponsonby home residing in their family home of over 60+ years.

Teokotai came from a performing arts and event management background reaching back 30 years and has since woven a tapestry of work that has crossed genres and disciplines.

They learned how to weave a small kete from a workshop held by the Tupumaiaga a Niue Trust, run by tutors Denzal and Mone. They consistently practised and taught themselves to a standard where people were willing to pay, or barter, for kete made here in Aotearoa.

Teokotai uses a blue material that for him juxtaposes the ocean environment that his family left for the factories that they ended up in, here in Tāmaki. These kete carry the memories of azure lagoons, a gentle sea breeze, and the scent of monoi coconut oil.