Chorus recently ran a competition in the Bay of Plenty, calling for local artists to submit designs to beautify its otherwise drab telecommunications cabinets.

These cabinets can be found on streets throughout the country and when left blank, are often targeted by taggers who leave behind unsightly graffiti.

Chorus found, through its cabinet art programme which began in 2010, that would-be taggers are far less likely to vandalise cabinets with murals on them, out of respect for the artwork.

Chorus together with its cabinet art partner, Keep New Zealand Beautiful (KNZB), teamed with Creative Bay of Plenty and the Breeze radio, to come up with a competition to beautify four cabinets.

Winning designs by artists, Shane Walker, Shannon Wright, Jimmy Robertson and Juanita-Louise Karora, were chosen for their close connection to the competition theme; ‘Our Places and Faces.'

Shane Walker's art adorns a cabinet on Hotham Street.

Shane's work depicts Mount Maunganui and Matakana Island, key historic entrances for the arrival of early European settlers to the Bay of Plenty area. Locals love the colouring and the almost photo-like accuracy of the image.

Shannon Wright's image of Tiki Taane is located on the corner of Cameron Road and Elizabeth Street.

Shannon says: 'I chose Tiki Taane as he is a well-known icon and singer in New Zealand. His distinctive tattoos and sense of style is regularly seen around my neighbourhood in Papamoa.

'His music video ‘No place like home' shows off the Bay of Plenty beautiful scenery. This combined with his patriotic lyrics makes anyone proud to live in this part of the country.”

Jimmy Robertson's piece can be found on Aerodrome Road.

His design indicates the importance of the sea to the bay. He chose an underwater scene of a scuba diver appreciating the beauty of the local sea life, with Mount Maunganui in the background. Jimmy hopes his design shows the purity of the water.

Juanita-Louise Karora's work is based on our Maori tangata whenua and is on Gravatt Road.

She wants the image to show that our tangata whenua are the DNA of the land on which we walk.

All four artists recall the positive feedback and comments they had from the public while they completed their works.

For more information on how you can be involved in the Chorus cabinet art programme, visit https://www.knzb.org.nz/chorus/

To view more of the cabinet art works, visit https://blog.chorus.co.nz/cabinet-art-gallery/