Town mural takes on a life of its own

Chris Wilkie with his portrait of Kaikohe identity Shaun Reilly and the real thing. Photo/ Pete de Graaf

A dozen Kaikohe residents - from a newborn baby to an old kuia, from the well-known to random passers-by - have been captured larger than life in a mural project at Marino Place.

The latest to join the portrait line-up is local identity Shaun Reilly, who seemed to be everywhere in Kaikohe even before the mural appeared. Now a giant likeness of him also looms over the square.

The portraits are the work of painter and Northland College art teacher Chris Wilkie, initially commissioned by building owner Jan Wright to "give something back to the community".

However, the project has since acquired a life of its own. What was to have to been a couple of paintings of children flanked by elders has turned into a dozen portraits so far with more to come.

"There were so many great people in the park, I just had to keep doing more," Mr Wilkie said.

"I'm just painting people I meet who are symbolic of other people. It's actually changing the character of the town."

Among those he has painted are a newborn baby, whose parents happened to be visiting the square while he was painting; one of his students pulling a pukana; and former Tautoro School principal Miria Padlie. One end of the wall is dedicated to tangata whenua, the other to tauiwi/Pakeha. Mr Wilkie said the portraits were so popular his students at Northland College were now painting 30 famous Northlanders, past and present, on large panels to be mounted around the square.

They ranged from the warrior chief Hone Heke to Dame Whina Cooper and popular policeman Paddy Whiu, as well as contemporary sporting champions such as Danielle Smith and Chris Huriwai. Mr Wilkie hoped the panels would be unveiled in mid-October. That project was funded by the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board, the Kaikohe Business Association and Pub Charities.

Mr Wilkie said the portraits had led to new commissions at Motatau and on a Landcorp shed at Te Tii. His previous murals include a museum at Hukerenui housing the collection of the late Jack Morgan, who died last month aged 97.

Starting from the New World end, the people painted so far are: A baby, whose mum and dad were visiting the square; Mormon elder Bunny Henare-Clarke; a "cute little kid", the daughter of a former student; Northland College student Justin Moka, doing a pukana; Ocean, a child wearing facepaint; Angelina Rapatina; Gina Edmonds; and former Tautoro School principal Miria Padlie. The next section portrays a girl named Kowhai and Shaun Reilly, with a Fijian musician and building owner Jan Wright to come.