Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

The Flaxmere fence-painting family giving passers-by a smile

By Louise Gould
Hawkes Bay Today·
24 May, 2021 02:18 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The Price family have been painting their fence since lockdown last year for special occasions including Mother's Day. Photo / Warren Buckland

The Price family have been painting their fence since lockdown last year for special occasions including Mother's Day. Photo / Warren Buckland

This Flaxmere home has more than just your average white picket fence.

Wilray Price and his family started adding artistic flair to their front fence in Peterhead Ave while in Level 4 lockdown last year.

They haven't stopped since.

The fence is currently a Mother's Day mural, but is set to be redone again sometime next week in time for Matariki.

Price said they initially painted the fence for his wife Louisa's father for Anzac Day.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
The Price family first started painting their fence for Louisa's father who served in the Air Force. Photo / Supplied
The Price family first started painting their fence for Louisa's father who served in the Air Force. Photo / Supplied

Her father served in the Air Force and had just moved into the Swansea Retirement Village before lockdown in March 20, just around the corner from them.

During Lockdown and on Anzac Day, not being able to go anywhere, or see Louisa's father, they were stuck with what they could do.

"We just decided we were going to paint our fence for him," Price said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

So, Wilray, Louise and their eight children got out their brushes and rollers and painted an Anzac tribute.

Since their first attempt last year the couple and their family have changed the fence's appearance many times, painting it for many occasions including Mother's Day, Christmas and Valentine's Day.

The thought process from the Price family was simple - they're allowed to paint their fence, so why not use it to spread joy?

The Price Family's most recent 'Mother's Day' fence. Photo / Supplied
The Price Family's most recent 'Mother's Day' fence. Photo / Supplied

The family of 10 are all into art, with some of Louisa and Wilray's children having studied animation and Māori Arts.

Wilray said he's currently studying a master's degree in art at EIT.

"We also enjoy making everyone happy and the interaction between people who drive past and honk their horn, and can see they've got a big smile on their face," he said.

The family also tries to get people passing by to add something when they are outside painting.

"Last year for Mother's Day Henare O'Keefe came and painted a flower with his wife, which awesome," Wilray said.

The painting process can take anything from a day to a week to complete and they plan to keep regularly giving the fence a facelift.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

‘Both sides will be hurting’: The build-up Hawke’s Bay’s biggest school rugby game

05 Jun 08:44 PM
Premium
Opinion

Viva the Vivaldi-free four seasons: Wyn Drabble

05 Jun 07:00 PM
Hawkes Bay Today

Hawke's Bay U20 basketball team shines with runner-up finish at nationals

05 Jun 06:06 PM

Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Premium
‘Both sides will be hurting’: The build-up Hawke’s Bay’s biggest school rugby game

‘Both sides will be hurting’: The build-up Hawke’s Bay’s biggest school rugby game

05 Jun 08:44 PM

Jason Shoemark didn't experience school rugby hype, but he knows what this weekend means.

Premium
Viva the Vivaldi-free four seasons: Wyn Drabble

Viva the Vivaldi-free four seasons: Wyn Drabble

05 Jun 07:00 PM
Hawke's Bay U20 basketball team shines with runner-up finish at nationals

Hawke's Bay U20 basketball team shines with runner-up finish at nationals

05 Jun 06:06 PM
A Kiwi, an Englishman and a Scot fly the Bay's shearing flag

A Kiwi, an Englishman and a Scot fly the Bay's shearing flag

05 Jun 06:00 PM
Clean water fuelling Pacific futures
sponsored

Clean water fuelling Pacific futures

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP