Artist Stan Mans has unveiled his award-winning mural titled 'Breath of Life' in Hastings.
Stan was one of ten winners from across the country who took out the top prize in Keep New Zealand Beautiful’s Resene
Nature Mural Competition 2023. This is the third time Stan has placed in the competition, previously winning in both
2019 and 2021.
The mural is located on the pump shed on the corner of Andrews Road and Havelock Road, a busy intersection between
Hastings and Havelock North.
Stan says the mural design focuses on the open plains of Hawke's Bay with kids enjoying the outdoors and embracing
nature and fresh air in a fun way. The children represent the community and the next generation.
"My inspiration for the painting is both Hawke's Bay and my family. When I thought of this project I presented it to my
wife and together we came up with the idea as a concept.
"In the mural both of the children perform fun childhood actions with the breath they breathe and this mixes in with the
local backdrop of the grassy fields of Hastings stretching out over rolling hills to central Hawke's Bay."
Stan wanted to depict the great memories he has of his kids enjoying nature.
"Sitting in the field on a warm summer day, you really appreciate the shade trees provide and you can discover so much
of your surroundings. The kids keep themselves busy for hours. This is a memory I treasure and it's worth protecting."
The mural incorporates a written message in both Māori and English - 'Tiaki i te hā o te ora - Protect The Breath of
Life' - conveying the idea of safeguarding and taking care of the vital essence of life.
Stan received a lot of praise and support from the local Havelock North community whilst painting the mural and a few
people even stopped by to tell Stan how appreciative they were of his effort.
"They loved the theme. It made me realise that we sometimes take for granted what impact art with a great message and
theme has on a community. Many, many people drive on that road and I think it was an excellent position to paint it."
About the Resene Nature Mural Competition
The Resene Nature Mural Competition, which is part of the Keep New Zealand Beautiful's Paint New Zealand Beautiful
programme, ran from April to June 2023. Community members were called on to submit environmentally-themed mural designs
to paint on a wall in their local community. Artists from around the country sent in their designs, with the top ten
murals selected in June based on their environmental message, enhancement of the community, originality and creativity.
Winners had up to 12 months to bring their mural to life.
Winning artists received a $1,000 commission once the mural is completed, along with a $750 Resene paint voucher and
other materials.
Keep New Zealand Beautiful CEO Heather Saunderson says: “Our Resene Nature Mural Competition provides a great
opportunity for artists to beautify their local communities. The beautification of public spaces greatly benefits
communities by increasing civic pride, deterring vandalism and reducing anti-social behaviour such as littering and
graffiti.”
“We were impressed with the dozens of high-calibre entries we received, so much so that narrowing the selection to just
ten winners was a tough task! We're thrilled to see the end result of Stan's mural coming to life."
Since its inception in 2017, there have been 57 Nature Murals commissioned as a result of the programme.
The ten winning artists for 2023 and the regions their murals will be produced are listed below, with their designs
visible on the Keep New Zealand Beautiful website.
Brigita Botma (Coromandel Town): Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute
Sylvie Currin (Kaitaia): Kauri, Spirit of Resilience
Terri Donaldson (Maungaturoto): The Creatures of Kaipara
Mel Eaton (Christchurch): Floating with Whio
Natasha Fitzpatrick (Auckland): Protect Us
Stan Mans (Hastings): Breath of Life
Melisa Nocelli (Arrowtown): Where Wildlife Matters
Kiran Parbhu (Wellington): The Birds and the Bees (and all the pollinators in between!)
Romina Romero (Auckland): Pukapuka o Tamaki (Lungs of Auckland)
Robert Scanlan (Christchurch): The Southern Migration of the Godwit
Stan's mural is located on the corner of Andrew Road and Havelock Road in Hastings. The Resene colours used in the mural
include:
Black and White
Turbo (Yellow)
All Ports (Blue)
Red Berry
Saratoga (Green)
Red Hot