Black book

Resene-coloured project snags Gold Pin at Best Design Awards

In October, New Zealand’s design community came together at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre to celebrate another year of outstanding excellence at the Best Design Awards. Each year, Toi Manahau Designers Institute of New Zealand (DINZ) hosts the annual programme to recognise the country’s strongest work across a range of creative disciplines. The evening saw exceptional designers and studios bestowed with Black, Purple, Gold, Silver and Bronze pins for their achievements across eight core categories: Digital, Product, Toitanga, Graphic, Moving Image, Spatial, Value of Design and Public Good.

“I can speak on behalf of this year’s convenors and judges when I say we were blown away by the calibre of entries, and it’s energising to see Kiwi design go from strength to strength – even on a world stage,” says Cathy Veninga, Chief Executive of DINZ. “The winning projects told important, engaging stories and dealt with confronting themes, offered innovative solutions to real problems and pushed the boundaries of what design can do, whilst showing exceptional technical craft. It’s a privilege to bring the DINZ community together, and I can’t wait to see what next year holds.”

Among the projects to be honoured this year was the Pink Palace by Matter Architects, which took home the Gold Pin in the Repurposed Spaces/Adaptive Reuse subcategory. The project’s exterior is painted in Resene Cloud and the interior is in Resene Half Rice Cake.

Congratulations to Matter Architects and all of the other creative winners.

› www.bestawards.co.nz

Kick back and relax with habitat issue 39

In today’s stressful world, we need all the help we can get to make our homes into the kind of soothing sanctuaries we’ll want to retreat to at the end of a long day. Those who are renovating an existing home or building a new one will definitely want to peruse the latest issue of habitat by Resene, which is brimming with tips for bringing zen-like colour to residential living spaces. It’s packed with plenty of weekend warrior projects to get stuck into now that the warm weather is here, plus eye-catching feature wall ideas, exquisite exteriors and handsome home makeovers to inspire. If you haven’t received a copy by mail, pick up one in-store at your local Resene ColorShop or selected resellers or read it online.

› www.resene.com/habitat

Talented women take top tradie honours

As many trades are starting to see more balanced representation among their ranks, things are looking especially bright for the next generation. At the latest Master Painters NZ Apprentice of the Year competition, a group of exceptional women showed off their unparalleled painting skills as the top of their game across the country.

“For the first time in the competition’s history, we were so proud to have four women representing the top tier of our industry’s up-and-coming talent,” says Paul Hallahan, CEO of Master Painters NZ. “Regardless of their gender, these four finalists were the absolute cream of the crop, and it is so exciting to see our trade evolving in a more inclusive direction.”

Trinh Nguyen (Queenstown), Tania Leveridge (Hamilton), Ellie Moyer (Nelson) and Sally Gaudin (Timaru) proved themselves to be the best of the best when the finalists were tasked with painting four rooms at Mary Potter Hospice in Wellington using Resene products. Paul says the standard of work across the board was exceptional, but it was Ellie Moyer’s accomplished application skills that saw her earn the top title of Apprentice of the Year.

Congratulations to Ellie, Sally, Tania and Trinh for your impressive efforts.

› www.masterpainters.co.nz

Unforgettable sculptures

They say elephants never forget, which makes these majestic animals an especially fitting symbol to bring awareness to the Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust. As part of an art trail taking place in the Christchurch area, more than 30 large elephants that have been individually decorated by different local artists will be on display along streets, in parks and other public spaces. As a proud sponsor of this worthy initiative, Resene has donated paint and supplies for the artists to use in creation of their designs.

“We are incredibly excited to bring David McKee’s much-loved elephant character, Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, to life in the most colourful art trail yet,” says Kathryn Jones, CEO of Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust. “Elmer’s Ōtautahi Elephant Trail is supported by a learning programme which enables thousands of children and young people to participate in this highly visible, family-friendly art trail. Ultimately, the sculptures will be auctioned to raise money to help the Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust in its mission to support people impacted by traumatic brain and other complex injuries throughout Canterbury.”

For a map of the art trail, information about related programming and auction details, visit the Elmer’s Ōtautahi Elephant Trail website.

› www.elmerchch.co.nz

Colourful flock raises funds for feathered friends

This spring, Aucklanders were delighted to find 20 giant kiwis burrowing around some of the city’s most popular public spaces to bring attention and support to the next generation of New Zealand’s most famous endangered fauna. Each sculpture in the collection was uniquely designed and painted with Resene products by professional and emerging artists before spending four weeks roosting around Commercial Bay, Viaduct Harbour, Wynyard Quarter and Silo Park. The initiative was started to raise awareness about the plight of the country’s most beloved flightless bird and communicate actions that everyday New Zealanders can take to help do their part in protecting kiwis. Once the display of the sculptures concluded, they were auctioned off with proceeds going to Gallagher Kiwi Burrow in Taupō – a facility managed by Save the Kiwi which incubates and hatches kiwi chicks and releases them into the wild.

Auckland-based street artist, Sweats, was inspired by the Māori legend of how the Kiwi lost its wings when creating his design. The popping bold Resene palette reflects the bright colours the bird is said to have once had and serves as a reminder of the need to preserve and protect this precious species.

› www.kiwiarttrail.nz

Good times roll

The third Resene Wallpaper Design Competition has wrapped. With so much originality and creativity to choose from amongst the spectacular designs submitted, the judges had a challenging job narrowing them down to the finalists. Congratulations to all of the winners, whose wallpapers will be made into Resene WallPrint custom wallpaper in partnership with Aspiring Walls, and will take home their share of more than $7,000 in prizes.

› www.resene.com/trendsbook

Seal without solvents

Looking for an interior broadwall sealer that can stand up to wet areas without the strong solvent odours associated with traditional solventborne products? Resene Waterborne Sureseal is a pigmented penetrating sealer designed to prepare a wide range of interior surfaces for topcoating, including old varnishes and Lockwood® finishes. It’s easy to apply with excellent adhesion, reducing the bleeding of water stains to help your finish look good for longer, and its water-based formula also means you get a low-VOC and low-odour finish. Generally, one coat is all you need. Where superior barrier protection or stain resistance is required, apply a second coat prior to applying your chosen coloured Resene topcoats.

› www.resene.com/sureseal

BlackWhite magazine

This is a magazine created for the industry, by the industry and with the industry – and a publication like this is only possible because of New Zealand and Australia's remarkably talented and loyal Resene specifiers and users.

If you have a project finished in Resene paints, wood stains or coatings, whether it is strikingly colourful, beautifully tonal, a haven of natural stained and clear finishes, wonderfully unique or anything in between, we'd love to see it and have the opportunity to showcase it. Submit your projects online or email editor@blackwhitemag.com. You're welcome to share as many projects as you would like, whenever it suits. We look forward to seeing what you've been busy creating.

Earn CPD reading this magazine – If you're a specifier, earn ADNZ or NZRAB CPD points by reading BlackWhite magazine. Once you've read an issue request your CPD points via the CPD portal for ADNZ (for NZ architectural designers) or NZRAB (for NZ architects).