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Urban Art commissions

Council supports and commissions artists to beautify urban spots where graffiti could spread.

These are some recent projects supported by Council.

Lower Hutt phone cabinet paintings

Everything from a kiwi and a ruru to sign language and 'A fish out of water' adorn seven high profile Chorus cabinets in Lower Hutt.

Beautifying the cabinets is a collaboration between Council and Chorus as part of the Art in Public Places initiative to minimise graffiti and bring art into everyday places.

Artists were chosen to paint murals, with the first one being completed in March 2017 on High Street outside the Hutt Hospital.

The artist chosen for this cabinet, Kelly Spencer, says “my piece was inspired by the Hutt River which runs through the city. The fish character is inspired by the brown trout that inhabit the river.” Kelly is concerned about climate change and how this will affect our waterways. 'A fish out of water' sits nicely with the healing provided by the Hutt hospital near this cabinet.

'Peace, love and balance' is another mural, featuring a pair of hands showing New Zealand Sign Language. It was drawn by Akansha Kumar whose artistic ability to draw hands can be seen on the fence near the Vogel St entrance to Walter Mildenhall Park. Her cabinet is located outside Stevens Motors Lower Hutt.

Some of the other successful artists and the locations of their work that have been painted include:

'Korari' by Anthony Paaka, 37 Manor Drive, Stokes Valley.
'Kiwi' by Aiden Walbaekken on the corner of Meremere Street and Parkway Road in Wainuiomata.
'Defence of the environment' by Anna Proc in Moera.
'Faces' by Greta Menzies, down the service lane on Bunny Street.
'Owl' by Tom Wallace on the corner of Waiwhetu Road and Porutu Road.

Catchment, 4-12 Laings Road

As part of Council’s Making Places strategy, the Raine and Horne advertising sign on the south side of the building was replaced with a new vibrant artwork. Wellington artist David Brown created the multi-coloured geometric artwork, which references the past and present the CBD.

'Catchment' is the work’s title and details about it will be shown on a plaque that will be mounted on the side of the building. A lot of planning went into preparing for the artwork (which is 9m off the ground) and ensuring the artist would work from a safe place.

You can see the artwork when travelling to the CBD across Ewen Bridge and north along Queens Drive.

Inangā Love Park, Korokoro Stream

In February 2017 locals took part in one of New Zealand's largest poster paste-ups. They created a mural to cover the expansive wall space underneath the Petone off-ramp.

Leading muralist Bruce Mahalski worked with local eco-artists Bent and Toothfish to create the mural. The posters showcase the stream, its history and wildlife. It explains how our inangā (whitebait) depend on egg laying sites where saltwater meets freshwater.

The mural marks the collaboration of a group of artists and scientists that have been working to create the Inangā Love Park. The new pocket-park wedged between rail, pipelines and roads celebrates a little stretch of the lower Korokoro Stream and its struggling inangā spawn site.

Inangā Love Park was created as part of Common Ground: Hutt Public Art Festival 2017.

Naenae Mural

The 180 metre mural 'Pikitia Pakitara' adorns a new fence around the Walter Mildenhall Park Reserve development in Naenae. Whanau, Aroha, Love and Community are some of the messages on this iconic mural. It's also one the longest murals to be constructed in Lower Hutt in 10 years.

Mural at Walter Mildenhall Park Reserve

As well as providing the community of Naenae with a signature artwork that speaks of the region, the mural is also intended to reduce graffiti in the area.

The work was created by the 'Off the Wall Mural Crew', led by artist Joe McMenamin. Joe worked with four Naenae college students, as part of Hutt City Council’s Murals in Schools and Public Places programme 2016-2017. The project was generously sponsored by Resene, Mitre10 Mega and local shop owner Jane Time.