Far North 'rubbish' ads provoke and delight

Sid Rosenthal with his image of Wayne Brown's head on Dan Carter's body. Photo / APN

A shirtless Far North Mayor Wayne Brown with a body that looks suspiciously like Dan Carter's.

The Mona Lisa in a judge's wig and a bikini.

The Queen sporting a chin moko.

None of these is something you would expect to see on a rubbish bin - but it is exactly what shoppers are confronted with in towns around the Far North.

The posters are the brainchild of Kerikeri man Sid Rosenthal, who has a four-year contract with the Far North District Council to lease the space on the district's rubbish bins.

Mr Rosenthal's company Ads on Bins sells advertising to local businesses, but when he has bins spare he uses them in his own campaign to brighten Far North streets, inject a little humour, and occasionally provoke thought.

The scheme was trialled in Kaikohe for a year - where it produced a total of zero complaints - and was expanded to the rest of the district a year ago.

But in his home town the ads have upset some business owners, and some of his street art has offended more delicate residents.

The poster which sparked the greatest number of complaints featured a picture of Queen Elizabeth II with a chin moko and the words "God save all the queens", a reference to the British Monarch, the Maori Queen, drag queens and "anyone who identifies with it".

"It was about promoting equality in a multi-racial country," he said.

The most positive reaction to date was for a poster with the mayor's head superimposed on to Dan Carter's body, wearing Christmas-themed boxer shorts and wishing Northlanders a merry Christmas.

"Most people saw the humour in it and appreciated the Christmas message, even if it was tongue-in-cheek," Mr Rosenthal said.

More seriously, a poster dedicated to the Pike River miners became an impromptu shrine.

Other posters comment on local issues such as the "Jafa judge" who picked the winners in a Kerikeri art show.

Posters he has had to remove include one praising beer for helping ugly people have sex, and - surprisingly - another promoting the SPCA's cruelty-free farming campaign.

His private campaign has cost him about $800.

"I enjoy sharing my artwork and my views on local affairs," he says. "It also brings a bit of life to the streets, a bit of colour and a bit of interest."

Mr Rosenthal said he wanted to apologise to anyone offended by the posters - but also apologised to those who enjoyed the posters he had to take down.

"For every person who's offended there are a thousand who seem to love it."

He also wants it known it's a genuine business, giving work to five Far North designers and giving small businesses an affordable way of promoting themselves.

Some posters have been disappearing, and souvenir hunters are blamed.

- APN