Putaanga Waitoa
For my whole life, I didn't know if I even really existed. But I do, and people are starting to notice. - arthur fleck
I te taha o tōku Papa,
Ko Hikurangi te Maunga
Ko Waiapu te Awa
Ko Houro Ta te Waka
Ko Ngāti Putaanga te Hapū
Ko Ngāti Porou te Iwi
Ko Putaanga te Marae
Ko Enoka Potae Waitoa jnr tōku Papa
I te taha o tōku māmā
Ko Kahuranaki te Maunga
Ko Tuki Tuki te Awa
Ko Takitumu te Waka
Ko Houngarea me Taraia ngā Marae
Ko Ngati Ngarengare te Hapū
Ko Ngati Kahungunu te Iwi
Ko te Pakipakitanga O Hinetemoa te Tangata
Ko Janine Kenrick tōku Māmā.
Ko Putaanga Waitoa tāku ingoa
Kia Orana, I’m Putaanga, that’s what i prefer; no, i don’t have a nickname; the only acceptable short version is Queen P.
i’m not a writer, nor do i pretend to be; my vocabulary is so broken it needs intensive care, and i'm average at most things unless it involves a camera.
For example, public speaking, acting professional, socialising, taking compliments (LOL) & i hate attention. ironic i know.
I'm an introvert at heart; photography is my creative voice.
i always get told i need a bio, ānei tatau. tahi tōku manako.
I was born in Ahuriri (Napier) & raised on Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, so that makes quite a colourful blend, and to mix it up some more, a watery Cancerian, proud Slytherin and all round weirdo.
These islands are where i draw my inspiration, my mana & my deep, authentic connection to the whenua & moana.
Peace is found within these elements.
toku ingoa, Putaanga was given to my parents before my birth from my grandfather, although i never used it until i reconnected to my true self.
i was so disconnected to my Māoritanga i wanted to remove it from my name because i had no clue who or what it was or why it was given to me.
Putaanga is the name of our chief of our hapū (great-grandson of Porourangi - the eponymous ancestor of Ngāti Porou)
Little is written about him, but it's great. I've searched far and wide for every bit of knowledge about my namesake.
Our whānau marae was named in honour of him.
I've never felt more real, more myself reclaiming my ingoa & honouring him again.
I’m very much the black sheep of my whānau, i walk to the beat of my drum.
I'm the second eldest of 5 tamariki, an older brother & three younger ( 2 brothers & 1 baby sister) that follow me who i love to the worlds beyond this one, who give me my fair share of daily memes, aroha, tautoko, laughs & roasts.
I have a five-year-old kōtiro who has the attitude & sass of a wahine my age.
Leading me through life & helping guide our path together.
That kid is amazing.
I returned to Aotearoa to find my roots following her birth in Rarotonga.
She changed everything.
Having experienced dysphoria/ disconnection, it was important to me that my kōtiro knew her roots and Te Kōhanga Reo O Te Ara Hou was the strong foundation for us both to journey back into Te Ao Māori. Now, she is fluent in te reo Māori, waiata, and her pepeha - she's incredible.
Twisted Treaty was released in 2017 as my first attempt to start a business & somehow i was able to nurture the kaupapa to grow into what it is now.
I had been told that it was unlikely that i'd make it & i wasn't about to let those words become my truth, instead i worked everything that i had into it, i grew, upgraded & evolved.
The foundation of my mahi has always been Moko Kauae, i've documented & tautoko many wāhine through this beautiful healing process & through that i was able to reveal my own.
I am a self-taught photographer. From a young age, I've always had cameras, from disposable film cameras to digital & eventually moving my way up - always upgrading.
one question i’m constantly asked is what course I did - experience.
Photography, in my opinion is an art form & not everyone is an artist in all disciplines.
Here you have control over one of the greatest creations known to man.
It takes a lot of thinking, studying the elements, memorising light patterns and making them all work with this device, especially when you’re a manual photographer.
The incredible thing about photography is there is always something new & fresh to bring.
I’m a deep thinker, I vision my work & I focus on the authenticity of imagery minus the mediocre.
Being able to show people how i see them through my lens - authentic, raw beauty.
What I'm passionate about is indigenous people & activism.
A huge advocate for kotahitanga in the creative indigenous community, Wāhine Māori, Moko Kauae and Mana Motuhake, is heavily portrayed in my whakaahua.
We, as indigenous people hold so much authentic knowledge; the more i dive deeper into our world, the more i find & bring back to the surface.
i'm no influencer or figure, i just want to use my platforms to raise as much awareness on indigenous issues (i love a good tea spilling) & success as possible while uplifting & uniting with other creatives.
my journey is only beginning.
Website - https://www.twistedtreaty.com
Instagram - @putaanga
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/twistedtreatynz/
