“Any new building comes with a comprehensive specification covering all the products involved in the project, right down to tapwear and fittings,” says Karmen Hoare, Specifier Services Manager for Resene’s Auckland team. “Here's where Resene comes in; we help with the paint side of that specification process, ensuring paint selections are aligned with the project brief.”
Founded in 1946 by Ted Nightingale and now in its third generation of family ownership, Resene is a quintessential New Zealand success story. They currently hold more than half of the market share in paint sales, and still manufacture all of their products in Wellington. “A lot of people don’t realise that Resene is New Zealand family-owned and operated,” Karmen says. “The business started out of a garage in Wellington when Ted realised that there was a market need for a concrete coating. What started as a cement-based paint called Stipplecote has since evolved into hundreds of products and 67 Resene-owned colour shops, nationwide.”
One of the products that has seen a lot of interest in the last few years is Resene Paint FX, a great option for industry professionals and DIYers who want to create depth and texture, or camouflage less-than-ideal building surfaces. “Paint FX has made a real surge in the market recently due to the growing desire for a cost-effective plaster or limewashing effect,” Karmen says. “It’s applied with a series of layers, including a base colour followed by a (Paint FX) diluted colour that you wash over the top. Depending on how much impact you want to make, your colour combinations are virtually limitless - use any colour, or pair a full strength shade with its half strength version to create a suede-like finish.”
“A lot of people don’t realise that Resene is New Zealand family-owned and operated,” Karmen says.
Savvy home painters can experiment with Paint FX and learn how to achieve their desired effect through trial and error, but Karmen says it’s best suited to industry professionals. “We’re seeing Paint FX being used in a lot of commercial spaces, retail fitouts, hotel lobbies, and apartment buildings. You’re most likely to see it somewhere there’s going to be a feature.”
Resene is also prioritising products that support its environmental sustainability goals through their PaintWise product stewardship programme, accredited by the Ministry for the Environment. “PaintWise diverts unused paint from landfill by recycling both the paint and paint packaging at collection centres nationwide. At these centres, we will accept any paint products - not just our own - and recycle them for you. Historically, this has been challenging because returned paint can be any colour or product type.But we’ve recently established a way to close the loop with the RE:Paint range, a low sheen/satin paint finish made from recycled waterborne paint. By isolating recycled paint into colour groups, we’ve created five RE:Paint colours that are resin-rich because they typically include a combination of premium products. We recommend RE:Paint for projects like fences and landscaping, but we’re seeing people successfully use it for other exterior projects as well.”
This is part of Resene’s ongoing efforts to lead the industry in environmentally responsible products and practices. “We recognise that everyone needs to be making meaningful progress in this space; if you’re not, you risk being left behind. Delivering green products is challenging and costly - while there is strong demand for these products, you can sometimes be met with hesitation when it comes to the price that reflects the cost of producing them.
“We’ve had to be really targeted about how we approach sustainability to ensure that we’re doing our part and still meeting market needs. One of the ways that we’ve done this is by obtaining Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for 12 Resene products. There’s a huge amount of cost and resource that goes into each one of those certifications, but it’s an essential part of doing the right thing. Now industry professionals can specify a complete paint system, from primer to topcoat, with EPD-certified Resene products.”
Resene is always looking for ways to introduce new waterborne technology and reduce reliance on solvent-based products, Karmen says. “Many seasoned industry professionals will default to solventborne options because that’s what they’re familiar with, but they’re higer in VOCs and have greater environmental impact, so we’re constantly trying to develop new waterborne products whereever possible. We have a new artisan range coming out soon that we’re really excited to share. More like a special effects paint than a typical commercial paint, it offers creative possibilities.”
Karmen also hopes to raise awareness in the industry about Resene’s high-performance steel and fire protective coatings. “We aren’t as widely recognised for these products as our other lines, and spreading the word is a key focus for our Auckland team as we look ahead to 2026. We’ll often have specifiers who choose Resene interior and exterior products but turn to other suppliers for steel coatings; we want them to know that we offer full intumescent and urethane systems as well. Additionally, we’ve collaborated with AkzoNobel Intperon to develop a bespoke range of Resene colours in powdercoat, which we’re re-launching in 2026 after a soft launch earlier this year. This bespoke range brings you authentic Resene colours made into quality Interpon powder coating, perfect for finishing powder coated surfaces, inside and out.”
Resene is working hard to support the industry in every way they can, including through the annual Resene Total Colour Awards. With nominations now open, this national showcase provides a great opportunity for people and businesses in New Zealand and Australia to showcase bold, innovative design and get seen on the national stage. “The Colour Awards are open to anyone who has used Resene paint in their project; you can self-nominate through our website until the 19th of December, with projects judged by an external panel and finalists and winners selected early next year.
“We’re also putting a lot of time and resource into networking events for like-minded people and suppliers. We’ll be doing a lot more work in that space in the months ahead, starting first by joining Teulo Talks LIVE in Auckland on the 18th of November. The idea is to connect with others in the industry about any wins or frustrations you might be having, find solutions, piggyback off others’ ideas, and exchange advice.”
To learn more and connect with Karmen, visit https://www.resene.co.nz/, or follow her on LinkedIn.
