Grey skies haven’t stopped a west Auckland community painting some colour back into their storm-affected neighbourhood.
Feeling forgotten
The Clover Drive community in Rānui was significantly impacted by the Auckland Anniversary floods and the extraordinary rainfall. Being close to streams and flow paths, some of the seriously affected homes are empty and boarded up. Some are red-stickered and remain unliveable, while others are waiting to be categorised.
For remaining residents still living next to empty properties, day-to-day life since the storms has been challenging. They’ve faced looting, dumping and rat-infestations – leaving many of them to feel forgotten.
With the support of Te Kawerau ā Maki, the residents of Clover Drive were able to advocate for funding through the Recovery Office to support the clean-up and beautification of the area. This funding allowed for rubbish removal, mowing of the overgrown lawns, and boarding up some of the storm-damaged properties.
Bringing back the colour
It also led to an idea to bring some brightness back to the community by painting the boards of some of the empty houses. The boards for the first house were painted by a local artist, Logan Hedley, who painted each board as a different flag. The flags were requested by the community – to the delight of the local children who recognise their flags.
For the other two houses, Jewelz Petley, Kaiarahi Hapori (Convenor) from Te Kawerau ā Maki Iwi Tiaki Trust, who also works with the Recovery Office, reached out to acclaimed artist Charlotte Graham. Charlotte has ancestral ties to the iwi and suggested turning this into a community event where everyone can get involved.
“It’s their community, it’s their neighbourhood, so I thought it was important that we work with them to decide what they would like to see,” says Charlotte.
Together, Charlotte and the residents came up with a vision of pastel-coloured paints and uplifting images that would bring joy to the neighbourhood.
Charlotte created an extensive range of stencils, all chosen for specific reasons: Kererū (wood pigeon) for peace, raindrops to cleanse, bees and hexagons to neutralise, and hearts – “because the kids wanted hearts”.
“We had Ranginui and Papatuānuku to reference to our atua [ancestors], and hue [gourd] as a reference to Te Kawerau ā Maki” says Charlotte.
The power of creativity and community
With spray paint at the ready, residents and volunteers spent a weekend in July, working with Charlotte to decorate the boards. It was a collaborative effort, with Kāinga Ora supplying a coffee cart, and volunteers providing council supplied rat traps and advice on pest control.
David (volunteer for Predator Free Wai Huruhuru Creek) and Rowena (Auckland Council)
“It was special to have so many different organisations together, led by Te Kawerau ā Maki,” says Charlotte. “That’s what happens when you have kaupapa uplifting whānau that have been through something. You see the community banding together.”
The painted boards have been placed back on the houses. Now, instead of being a bleak reminder of what the community went through, they’re a sense of joy and hope for the future.
One of the boarded up houses on Clover Drive, decorated with painted boards.
