The roar of dirt bikes and echoes of laughter fill the town centre, only to fade into the serene calm of an Auckland gallery where white backdrops highlight each exquisitely crafted waka on display.
Ōtara veteran Sully Paea, of Niuean descent, is showcasing his first exhibition, Tau Vaka He Pacifika: The Canoes of the Pacific, at Fresh Gallery.
Hot on the heels of Niuean Language Week, the proud son of Ōtara, who’s gained wide acclaim as a youth worker, is re-emerging as an artist and expert carver with a passion for waka.
Paea was recognized for his work in youth services and appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2023 New Year’s Honours.
“I’m not afraid to roll up my sleeves and do anything … and I can accomplish it. That’s because I’ve always had that work ethic in me,” he says.
“It’s only recently, since I put my work in an exhibition, that I’ve started hearing people refer to me as an artist. I never saw myself that way before.
“But now, I’m thinking, maybe I am an artist. I’ve always had that creativity in me—it’s always been there.”
Hailing from the Niuean villages of Hakapu and Lakepa where he spent 12 years of his life doing things he didn’t always like, Paea says these formative experiences have played a significant factor in honing his creative abilities.
And now at the ripe age of 73, he has been carving for the past five years, delving deeper into his craft through self-taught research.
He cut holes into his fingers when he first started, but now knows what tools and techniques to use and what wood to get certain colours.
He’s even delved into creating earrings to test how small he could make a waka.
“I went into this journey because I saw something that caught my attention. It’s beyond that — it’s now become an obsession. It’s got hold of me. So I want to take as many as I can to learn and understand, learn our history, and learn from our ancestors how they achieved these great achievements.”
He says his mission was to rediscover how his ancestors acquired the knowledge to achieve great feats, like building massive canoes and navigating the Pacific without modern tools.
He reflects on their dedication and skill, asking, “How did they accomplish so much with so little?”
He adds that putting on his first exhibition has not only done a lot for him but for many others too.
“I’ve talked to people from various places who see their canoe in the exhibition; many have never seen it before. It creates a conversation that gives them a sense of pride and connection to their history, inspiring them to want to know more.”
Paea has exhibited his creations to see what would happen and open doors to culture and language.
“That‘s why it’s all canoes, not just the one canoe, but all the islands’ canoes. So I can connect with all the different cultures, but my own culture, definitely.”
After this, he would like to take it further by creating something uniquely Niuean to address his culture, as “we’re losing our language”.
He hopes to create artifacts specifically for the Niuean culture, but his passion for canoes extends to waka from all over the Pacific.
Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board (OPLB) provides spaces in civic venues for diverse communities to showcase and celebrate their cultural identities.
Board chair Apulu Reece Autagavaia said Paea is a pillar of the Ōtara community but also a stalwart of the Niuean community.
“His exhibition is important for protecting and nurturing Niuean language and identity here in South Auckland, Aotearoa NZ,” he says.
“His exhibition is also part of the OPLB’s direction to Fresh Gallery staff to give more opportunities to locals. We want our people to come into the Fresh Gallery and feel welcomed because it is curated by locals and reflects locals.”
