How to actually paint the town

PAINTING, or re-painting the businesses along Ōtorohanga’s main street is beginning to attract attention now the paint is going on the buildings.

The painting is the result of a lot of behind the scenes work gathering community support for the project, Ōtorohanga Economic Development Board economic development manager Michelle Hollands said.

“We got started first of all, looking at empty retail buildings in the main street post-Covid.  

“How do we support retailers and hospitality businesses in the recovery and bring life back into the main street?” she said.

Part of that conversation was just making the rest of the businesses in the main street more attractive.

“So, we started with the concept of clean and paint, and supporting anybody who owns a business in the main street or who owns a building in the main street, because it can be either.”

Michelle, and new development board chair Marain Hurley and Carolyn Christian were the original team that got it going.

The concept was put to the community, and they started fundraising.  Between community members and businesses, they raised just over $100,000.

“And then [we] went to council and said, ‘look we’ve managed to raise these funds’,” Michelle said.

The Lines Company, Ōtorohanga District Council and the development board all contributed.

“We had phone calls from people who couldn’t put money together but wanted to come and paint, but in today’s world you can’t just do that,” Michelle said. “In the past we could have ... imagine it, everybody gets a paint brush and you get it all painted.  

“We had so many offers of help. It is a community project; it’s no one’s project but the community’s.

“What we do is, we just promote the concept.

“We’ve got a partnership with Dave Rowe painters, and they have come in with quotes that enable us to look at the whole main street.”

It’s not exclusively the main street buildings.

Although this is the immediate focus, any business outside the main street can register interest.

The businesses deal with Dave Rowe and obtain a quote for whatever it is they are going to have done. Some of the development board funding is then apportioned to the project.

“We have got eight signed up and on the go, and another eight sitting behind them with quotes prepared or being prepared for them,” Michelle said.

“The goal is the whole main street. It is a work in progress.”

Rain has held up the project.

“I think more of the main street would have been painted by now had we not had all that rain over summer,” she said.

She is hoping at least another six businesses will be completed before winter.

“I think it will be a project that keeps going. And maybe the last few will come on board just as we are painting the rest a second time,” Michelle said.

“That is the goal … that the buildings are constantly being cared for because you can see the ones that are done, it makes a massive difference.”

There were four unleased buildings on the main street, which were part of an ongoing conversation about placing kiwiana displays in the shop windows.

“And then how do we creatively find businesses to go into them. It’s an ongoing little project I guess.”