BACK IN 1946, Ted Nightingale had a dilemma. He had a concrete building and needed an alkali-resistant paint to cover it – but thanks to post-war shortages, there was nothing available.

But rather than let this get him down, he showed some typical Kiwi ingenuity and decided to give it a go himself. A trusty old concrete mixer in his garage was called into service and his paint worked a treat. Pretty soon it was in demand from other builders, too.

Thus Resene (a brand name derived from the paint’s main ingredient, resin) was born. Since those early backyard beginnings, Resene has grown into the country’s largest privately-owned decorative paint company. It’s still New Zealand owned and operated, with manufacturing operations in Wellington, Tauranga and Fiji. It’s a truly colourful story.

Increasingly, sophisticated New Zealand consumers require even greater sophistication from paint manufacturers. With over half a century of experience, and three generations of the Nightingale family at its helm, Resene has proven a big point – it has New Zealanders’ trust.

Resene’s products continue to be marked by innovation, ingenuity and top quality.

With decorating at the heart of any DIY journey, Resene has launched a podcast, If These Walls Could Talk, with its own colour expert Madison McLeod offering fortnightly advice and encouragement on colour, design and decorating.

In February this year, Resene ran its successful Hunger for Colour food drive. To assist local Salvation Army and community foodbanks, customers were encouraged to donate two cans of food at any Resene shop in exchange for one FREE Resene testpost of paint, valued up to $6.50.

For years, Resene paint has been recognised as world class. Resene paint and colour technology is exported around the world, and its chemists are internationally respected for their development of superior products.

Not bad for something that began with a little Kiwi ingenuity, eh?

• Visit www.resene.co.nz; resene.co.nz/podcast.htm