But he is not self-conscious about it, because as soon as the camera starts snapping, he smiles and the facial feature melts away.
The 47-year-old Dunedin man is the face of the New Zealand Stroke Foundation's Stroke Awareness Week campaign - Down with Blood Pressure - which starts today.
He was only 41 when he had his stroke in 2003.
Just hours before the life-changing event, he felt "something wasn't quite right", and when the doctor found his blood pressure was sky high, he was rushed to Dunedin Hospital.
Soon after, he had the stroke which left his left leg and right arm completely paralysed, and he could not speak.
Yet, Mr Te Whare says he was one of the lucky ones.
"If you're going to have a stroke, hospital's the right place to have it.
"If I'd ignored my intuition, and gone to bed instead of to the after-hours doctors that night, I would never have woken up. Because I was in hospital, they could start to treat me straight away."
Mr Te Whare still walks with the aid of a walking stick and has difficulty using his left arm because he has no feeling in his left wrist.
But thanks to his "awesome" family and support from the Stroke Foundation and the ISIS physical rehabilitation service at Wakari Hospital, he has been able to return to a "normal" life.
"I've had to learn to write and do other functions with my left hand. It hasn't been easy, but I can still push the buttons on eftpos machines," he said with a chuckle.
"You improvise - you learn how to adapt."
Mr Te Whare will share his story at the launch of Stroke Awareness Week at Parliament tomorrow night.
About 8000 strokes occur in New Zealand each year, and it is the leading cause of disability.
One third of strokes are attributable to high blood pressure, and 25% of strokes occur in people under the age of 60.
Mr Te Whare said it was not an old person's condition and urged people of all ages to get their blood pressure checked.
To mark Stroke Awareness Week, the Stroke Foundation, St John and the Lion Foundation are offering free blood pressure checks on Saturday at Pak'n Save and New World supermarkets in Otago, and at Roslyn Pharmacy, Ranfurly Foodmarket and Lawrence 4 Square.
"The only way to know if your blood pressure is high is to have it checked.
It's a quick and simple test that could save your life," Mr Te Whare said.
"If you haven't had your blood pressure checked for a while, what are you waiting for?"
