He's 17, one of 12 children "somewhere near the end" - and remains amazed that his drawing won the junior art section at the Waimarino Art Awards last month.
Mohi Williams, a Year 12 student at Ruapehu College, describes drawing as his relaxation.
"I mean I love it, but I haven't thought of it as a career or anything."
His drawing, Unleashed, of a young girl with her hair flying in the wind, was not completed when it was entered, he said. "My art teacher entered it anyway."
When his teacher told him he had won, Mohi thought she was joking.