Iata Peautolu drew on the pure beauty of Bay of Plenty for inspiration for the artwork that now graces the front page of the region's 2009 phone book.
"The Bay of Plenty is renowned for moana [ocean], the ra [sun] and the whenua [land]. We are pretty much blessed to be
living here," Mr Peautolu, of Tauranga Moana, said.
The Bay of Plenty 2009 Yellow Art Awards agreed and thought his three-part design depicting the ocean, sun and land, accompanied by each element's kaitiaki [guardian] was worthy of art which represents the whole province.
"The White Pages competition was all about creating something that we love about our area, to me that was obvious," said Mr Peautolu, a freelance graphic designer of five years.
His competition-winning design is split into three equal sections, all of which feature traditional Maori patterns. The top section is an interpretation of the moana [ocean] in a swirl of colours, with the ocean guardian Tangaroa presiding over it.
"At different times of the day there are different colours of the sea, not only blues, but murky colours as well - that's why I used those colours," Mr Peautolu said.
The middle tier in vibrant yellow is the sacred sun [tama nui te ra], which represents the sunshine that New Zealanders have come to know the Bay of Plenty for, and in the bottom tier in rich greens is the whenua [land].
Mr Peautolu said it was an "awesome surprise" when he got the phone call in March, informing him he was one of three finalists for the competition. "Even if I didn't come through as a winner I was happy to be a finalist."
Mr Peautolu, who is half Niuean and half Maori, said he planned to focus some of his future work on Niuean art forms and continue tattooing work that he had branched into, based at his Welcome Bay home studio.
He also planned to continue his work as a missionary for Youth With A Mission Island Breeze with his wife Marina.
"My inspiration really comes from God and my faith in him," Mr Peautolu said.
