Kerikeri’s cinema wall transformed with distinctly New Zealand Resene murals

06 Jul 2022

Kerikeri’s Cathay Cinema has an exciting new look, with three Resene murals now gracing its walls. An art competition to win a spot on the cinema’s walls was organised by the ‘Our Kerikeri Community Charitable Trust’.

Winning pieces displayed on the cinema wall. The Our Kerikeri Community Charitable Trust was born out of a desire to support and encourage the creative community that exists in Kerikeri. “A community united by the ideals of compassion and creativity has incredible power. Art of all kinds - music, literature, traditional arts, visual arts - can lift and enhance a community.”

As a member of the Trust and with expertise in the arts and culture sector, Melanie Chandler-Winters developed the concept for The Wall Art Competition as a way of celebrating creativity in the Kerikeri community. “It also ticked other community goals including embracing our bi-cultural heritage and revitalising the township. But most important of all, this competition empowered the community to shape their own town.”

A partnership with Resene and the owners of the Cathay Cinema building provided the foundation for the competition and a site for the three winning artworks to be installed.

“In April, the brief went out to the community challenging artists to bring the community vision to life through paint. 40 artists across all age groups submitted their artworks and 20 semi-finalists were chosen by the Trust based on their interpretation of the brief,” says Melanie.

The competition was opened to the public for voting, with the local Proctor library displaying all semi-finalists’ work. “The public could vote at the library in Kerikeri or online and the response was overwhelming – we received 1,400 votes! For a small community this once again reinforced the incredible power of creativity, interest for community-led change.”

A count of votes identified the three winners – Alex Moyse, Lance Hadfield and Logan White. “Each artist had a very different interpretation and style and this diversity has been well received by the community,” Melanie says.

“The Trust believes this competition will be a catalyst for a much-talked-about permanent outdoor art trail, with many of the finalists expressing interest. None of this would be possible without the support from community-minded volunteers and organisations, such as Resene." 

Published: 06 Jul 2022