Kiwi Burn Hut gets Dulux treatment

Date:  24 April 2013

Mavora’s Kiwi Burn Hut recently received an extreme make over, the first of many for huts in Fiordland thanks to a new partnership between Department of Conservation (DOC) and Dulux New Zealand.

Kiwi Burn is an easily accessed and well used hut, 1.5 hours walk from the Mavora Road, and part of the Te Araroa trail - a continuous 3,000km walking network from North Cape to Bluff. Over two sunny days DOC staff and two volunteers pitched in with Dulux paint from their Colours of New Zealand range to spruce up this popular weekend and short tramp destination. It now has a fresh new look, and will be well protected from the elements.

This local paint job is part of a national ‘Protecting our Place’ partnership between DOC and Dulux New Zealand. DOC looks after a network of 973 huts, providing shelter for New Zealanders when they are on public conservation land. Dulux is providing 45,000 litres of free paint and an additional 9,000 litres of woodcare products over the three year period. Next on Fiordland’s list is Hope Arm Hut on Lake Manapouri, which will be painted early next season.

DOC Ranger Grant Tremain was involved with the Kiwi Burn Hut painting. “These huts are special places and keeping them looking and working well is important. Maintenance is a huge commitment for DOC, and it makes a real difference when businesses such as Dulux help get the work done. Everyone was most impressed with the new colour scheme”.

The colours were chosen via a Dulux competition, allowing New Zealanders to suggest what their favourite back country huts should look like. You can still submit your colour schemes at the protectingourplace.co.nz website before 30 April 2013. There are also opportunities to volunteer your time - so far over 500 volunteers have offered to put overalls on and help paint huts. The support has been overwhelming.

Dulux and DOC are now opening up the partnership to community and club huts as well. If your group has a hut on conservation land that needs a lick of paint, you can apply for free paint to help protect your place. Some conditions apply. Visit the ‘Protecting our Place’ website for details and an application form.

Kiwi Burn Hut now sports a bright new look. Dulux paint used on the walls is ‘Oreti Double’, the windows are ‘Blackball’, the door is ‘Kaponga’, the deck is ‘Ettrick’, and the roof and chimney are ‘Basin Reserve’, Keep an eye out on other huts and facilities around the place as there is plenty more paint to splash around.

Background

• This partnership means that resources that would have been used to purchase paint can now be redistributed to other priority conservation projects.
• The partnership aims to protect our places and preserve NZ’s iconic heritage huts, a priceless part of our heritage and outdoor culture, to enable future generations to experience the stunning backcountry of NZ.
• The partnership is good for New Zealand because we are working to protect some of our most valuable public assets that New Zealanders love, and people all over the world come to enjoy.

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