Next weekend will see the launch of Paint New Zealand Beautiful 2014 in Kawerau as part of the town's 60th birthday celebrations.

Popular local landscape artist Bela Ughy has been commissioned to paint five historical murals backing onto the main highway through the town and Mayor Malcolm Campbell will reveal these murals at Sunday's launch.

The scenes depict icons of early Kawerau; Fenton's Mill, Shanty Town, the Hammerhead Crane, the Milk Cart and the Finnish Sauna.

'We are very pleased to announce that Kawerau is to be our Paint New Zealand Beautiful launch site for 2014,” says Keep New Zealand Beautiful General Manager Heather Saunderson.

'This campaign creates nationwide awareness of the need to protect our public spaces, combat graffiti vandalism and celebrate the efforts of communities that are graffiti-free.

'One of the larger challenges New Zealand is faced with is the negative effect that graffiti vandalism brings to our communities.”

To help combat this growing problem,

Keep New Zealand Beautiful has teamed up with paint sponsor Resene and the Ministry of Justice to run Paint New Zealand Beautiful.

”Thanks to the Paint New Zealand Beautiful programme, a wide array of public places have been decorated with wonderfully colourful and inspiring murals and much graffiti has been painted over,” says Karen Warman from Resene.

'It's our great pleasure to be involved with such a fantastic organisation that helps create a better place for all of us to enjoy.”