Award-winning mural unveiled in Coromandel township

2023 Resene Nature Mural Competition winner

Professional artist Brigita Botma has unveiled her award-winning mural titled ‘Give a Hoot, don’t pollute’ in Coromandel township, Coromandel Peninsula.

Auckland-based Brigita was one of ten winners from across the country who took out the top prize in Keep New Zealand Beautiful’s Resene Nature Mural Competition 2023.

The mural, painted on the side of the public town pools building, is designed to help raise awareness of littering and careless rubbish disposal. The mural features depictions of native birds and plants overlaid with light-hearted messages that aim to remind the public – in a fun, light-hearted way – to appreciate their community and surroundings, and to “say NO to disrespecting the environment,” says Ms Botma.

“I wanted to do something bright and colourful for Coromandel town that represented both the area and the importance of conservation and the environment,” she says. “All flora and fauna pictured in the mural are native to the Coromandel area and the beach itself is based-off a local one.”

All the birds and plants in the mural were carefully chosen by researching the native species of the region, and working alongside the local committee, pool management and the wider community to approve the design.

“The area is one of New Zealand’s most beautiful spots, so having a message in town that reminds visitors and residents alike of how important it is to keep everything pollution free is a huge bonus,” said Ms Botma.

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About the Resene Nature Mural Competition
The Resene Nature Mural Competition, which is part of the Paint New Zealand Beautiful programme, ran from April to June 2023. Community members were called on to submit environmentally-themed mural designs to paint on a wall in their local community. Artists from around the country sent in their designs, with the top ten murals selected in June based on their environmental message, enhancement of the community, and originality/creativity. Winners have up to 12 months to bring their mural to life.

Winning designs receive a $1,000 commission upon completion, along with a $750 Resene paint voucher and other materials to paint their mural.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful CEO Heather Saunderson says: “Our Resene Nature Mural Competition provides a great opportunity for artists to beautify their local communities. The beautification of public spaces greatly benefits communities by increasing civic pride, deterring vandalism, and reducing anti-social behaviour such as littering and graffiti.

“We were impressed with the dozens of high-calibre entries we received, so much so that narrowing the selection to just ten winners was a tough task! Brigita’s mural is the first of the 2023 murals to be fully completed, and we’re thrilled to see the result – we’re excited to watch the other talented winning artists bring their own murals to life around Aotearoa.”

Since its inception in 2017 there have been 57 murals commissioned by the programme, beautifying spaces across the country.

The ten winning artists for 2023 and the regions their murals will be produced are listed below, with their designs visible on the Keep New Zealand Beautiful website.

– Brigita Botma (Coromandel Town): Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute
– Sylvie Currin (Kaitaia): Kauri, Spirit of Resilience
– Terri Donaldson (Maungaturoto): The Creatures of Kaipara
– Mel Eaton (Christchurch): Floating with Whio
– Natasha Fitzpatrick (Auckland): Protect us\
– Stan Mans (Hastings): Breath of Life
– Melisa Nocelli (Arrowtown): Where Wildlife Matters
– Kiran Parbhu (Wellington): The Birds and the Bees (and all the pollinators in between!)
– Romina Romero (Auckland): Pukapuka o Tamaki (Lungs of Auckland)
– Robert Scanlan (Christchurch): The Southern Migration of the Godwit

Ms Botma’s mural is located on the side of the Coromandel Community Swimming Pool Building at 120 Woolams Avenue, Coromandel Town. The Resene paint colours used included Roadster, Turbo, Kaitoke Green, Now or Never, and Wild Side, and were applied both by brush and with a spray machine.