Town beautification gets cash boost from boards

Graffiti battlers and artists were the big winners in the latest allocation of grants by the Kaikohe-Hokianga and Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Boards.

The boards gave out more than $11,000 to community groups when they met last month.

The Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board gave $6500 to Kaikohe (Rau Marama) Trust to contract Tag Off to remove graffiti from buildings in the Kaikohe area.

The board also gave the Kaikohe Community Arts Council $1,961.35 towards costs of holding a ‘Sculpture in the Vines’ exhibition at Ivana Wines vineyard in Kaikohe next month.

The Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board gave Karetu School $1700 towards costs of painting an environment-themed, Hundertwasser style mural on a wall in Kawakawa.

The art work will be a replica of a student mural that won a nationwide Keep New Zealand Beautiful competition.

Bernadette Brophy at Soul Within Outreach Clinic in Kaikohe received a $1000 grant from the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board towards costs of holding a Spring into Summer Healthy Expo in Kaikohe last month.