b'Resene historyhome grownThe story of New Zealands own paint company which turns 65 this year.R esenewasstartedin1946byanunderstanding that a waterborne paint wouldown staff to sell directly to the trade.Eastbournebuilder,TedNightingale,not wash off the walls with water. It wasIn 1970, Resene employed a sales manager who needed an alkali-resistant paint toonly after a massive sales effort, includingand set about opening branches throughout cover his concrete buildings.demonstrations run in shop windows, thatNew Zealand. Initially each branch consisted There was nothing available at the time, so inwaterborne paint sales really took off.of a warehouse and a sales representative typical Kiwi style he developed his owninResenes perseverance paid off with a periodwho drove around calling on tradespeople. a cement mixer in his garage! In response toofrapidexpansionduringthelate1950sResene initially focused on the professional demand from other builders, Ted commencedandearly1960s.AstheemphasisshiftedmarketinWellingtonandthenrolledthis producing his paint on a commercial basisawayfromcement-basedpaintstowardsstrategy out to focus on towns like those under the brand name Stipplecote. waterborne paints, the company name wasin the Hawkes Bayareas where the big As well as Stipplecote, Ted manufactured achanged to Resene Paints Ltd in 1977.companieswerelessfocused.Onlyonce range of admixtures, such as No Bond andSeveralkeydecisionsfollowedthatinResene had established itself in most smaller Curecrete,whicharestillaroundtoday.hindsightprovedpivotal.Thefirstwastoareas,didReseneincreaseitsfocuson Theinitialgarageproductionfacilitywasincrease factory space by shifting to GoughAuckland.superceded by a factory in an old stable inStreetinSeaview,LowerHutt,wheretheIn between calls to tradespeople, the Resene Tinakori Road, Wellington, later that year. companyremainedfor25yearsbeforesales representatives called on the architectural In 1951, Ted Nightingale launched the firstshiftingtoitscurrentlocationinNaenae,profession,Governmentdepartmentsand waterborne paint in New Zealand under theLower Hutt in 1992.local bodies. Many began to specify Resene brand name Resene - a name derived fromThesecondandprobablymostcrucialpaints on contracts.the main ingredient of paint, resin. The movedecisionwastocompletelyoverhaultheIn 1972, Tony Nightingale, Teds son, took to a new larger factory was followed by acompanysmarketing.Inahugegamble,over the operation of the company (today, its period of innovation. Resenedecidedtoriskalienatingtherun by Tonys son Nick). 1975 saw the launch Waterborne paints had a very slow start. Theindustrystraditionalsalesoutletsbyof the first of a national chain of retail stores. marketplace was cautious and had difficultysidesteppingtheminfavourofusingitsThis move occurred almost by accident. Tony Top Resene founder Ted Nightingale.Right An illustration from an early advertisement for Resene waterborne paints.ReseneButtery WhiteReseneFleetwood82'