21 Aug 2019Hamilton’s Hillcrest High School, winners of Keep New Zealand’s Beautiful’s (KNZB) Resene Wall Worthy competition 2019, are excited to unveil their completed award-winning mural. The mural, titled ‘Stronger Together’, has been painted at the front of the school and incorporates the local Pirongia mountain range and the Waikato River as well as two beautiful New Zealand native Tui. Artist Esther Schuchardt said “I feel so grateful for this opportunity to leave behind a beautiful legacy at the school that has given so much to me. The mural depicts important historical links between the history of the region, the land (whenua), and the mountain (maunga), to Hillcrest High School as both provider of pathways to the future, and as a guardian (kaitiaki) of the past. The return of the Tui songbird to Hamilton after almost a century of absence is strongly represented in the mural as recognition of history being recreated. Most importantly though, the mural was a labour of love.” The Resene Wall Worthy competition, which is part of the Paint New Zealand Beautiful programme ran from January to April 2019, with early childhood centres, schools and community groups encouraged to submit mural designs which included an environmental message. Submissions were received from all over New Zealand and the top 15 murals were selected based on their environmental message, enhancement of the local area, and originality/creativity. The public were then asked to vote to decide on the winning 10 entries. The winning designs receive a $750 Resene paint voucher and other materials to paint their mural as well as a GoPro camera on completion of their mural. Keep New Zealand Beautiful CEO, Heather Saunderson, said: ““Research shows us that there is a marked reduction in tagging when murals, reflective of the local community, are used to replace graffiti vandalised walls. The Wall Worthy Competition is a great way to not only enhance our urban environment, but to also bring our local communities together and create a strong sense of pride. Hillcrest High School’s award winning mural ‘Stronger Together’. The other Resene Wall Worthy winners and regions are listed below, with their designs visible on the Keep New Zealand Beautiful website. Moanataiari School – Thames Matahui School – Tauranga Wainui Beach School – Gisborne Norfolk Primary School – New Plymouth Te Mahia School – Wairoa Taradale Primary School – Napier Inglewood High School – New Plymouth Nelson Central School Community Group – Nelson Otago Childcare Centre – Dunedin Share this page
