Dairy artwork lifts Bay spirits

A summer without graffiti has put smiles on the faces of Titahi Bay residents who organised to have a dairy become an artist’s canvas.

A mural, painted by Antz June, has put a stop to chronic tagging on the Pikarere St dairy. Mr June has celebrated the beach, bush and the Bay’s street names in his mural, which depicts a tui, fish and Maori and Pakeha fishermen working together.

The mural was driven by a residents’ group which ‘‘adopted’’ the dairy under a Porirua City Council scheme.

‘‘They were sick of seeing tags on there, they wanted a mural and they approached me,’’ Mr June says.

The council paid for the mural to be painted.

The mural was popular from the minute Mr June began painting in December, he says. ‘‘Just working on it you heard the toots and the waves. A lot of people respect it.’’

The tagged dairy was a downer to see every day, resident Alison Watts says.

‘‘We just got so sick of seeing the huge horrible tags on the side of the building, having to drive past every day kind of gets you down.’’

The mural is now a Bay landmark, she says.

Another member of the ‘‘ adopt-aspot’’ group, Bill Allan, hopes the Piko St dairy can be tackled next.