Born in Paeroa in the late 1950s, Maurice Bennett spent his youth moving around rural townships with his family, settling for a while in Whakatane where he attended the local high school. After college, Maurice completed a Certificate in Civil Engineering at Auckland Technical Institute (as it was then known) followed closely by two years’ study towards a Batchelor of Architecture at Auckland University.

As a young man, Maurice was absorbed in all forms of art. He travelled widely throughout the USA and Europe, visiting museums and art galleries where his appreciation in both traditional and more offbeat art styles grew.

However, the starving would-be artist arrived back in New Zealand broke and desperate for a job. Previous after-school work as a ‘spud-boy’, weighing potatoes, gave him what seemed like a great opportunity at the time, with a job at a local supermarket.

Surprisingly, the retail work appealed to him and in a very short time he become Grocery Manager for the Papakura New World. It wasn’t long before he and Carolyn his wife, a former checkout operator, decided to purchase their own traditional Kiwi icon – the Four Square Store. Working seven days a week and excessive hours they made the business a success, it was soon paid off, and Maurice and Carolyn were able to purchase the much larger Island Bay New World Supermarket.