Young artists bring colour to Hampshire Street

Planter boxes were the perfect canvas for budding young artists working to make Aranui’s streets more people friendly.

Students from Chisnallwood Intermediate have decorated the boxes outside the shops on Hampshire Street with murals related to the shop they were outside.  

There are chips for the fish and chip shop, people from the neighbourhood, flowers and even a kiwi on a surfboard.   

Chisnallwood Intermediate student Calleigh’s design, which is outside the Hampshire Mini Mart, features the shop’s customers.   

“It’s great,” Calleigh said. “I could do this sort of thing every single day.” 

“I’ve seen a lot of murals around town, and I took inspiration from those.”  

The students were mentored by local artist Brandon Warrell, whose art is featured throughout Christchurch. One of his most notable works, Rise from the Rubble, features a silvereye/wax-eye and kowahi tree on Hereford Stret. 

The planter boxes in Aranui bring colour to the area as well as acting as anti-ram raid bollards and are fireproof. 

The work has been funded through Waka Kotahi’s Streets for People programme to make the area more people friendly and accessible.  

The full  project can be viewed here and includes improvements to crossings outside Haeata Community Campus, Chisnallwood Intermediate and St James School. 

There will also be upgrades to 14 intersections throughout Aranui on popular school routes, footpath widening on Breezes Road, Hampshire Street and Rowan Avenue, as well as speedbumps installed in a number of locations around Chisnallwood, Haeata and Hampshire Street. 

Road art space will be designated outside St James School and Wainoni Park.