Daily Photo – The Famous Rakaia Graffiti Barn

One of the great New Zealand traditions is that of the shed. It’s something that is deeply rooted in the culture of the country and is a place where some of the greatest technological advancements have taken place. It’s a space for innovation, relaxation, hobbies, projects, and tinkering and links directly to our “number eight wire” mentality. Generally speaking, the rule with a shed is that every property must have one and if you’re in a rural area, at some point you must abandon it and let the elements deal with it as it may. Then, after an appropriate timeframe, taggers will come along and use it as their personal canvas to write unintelligible things on it in bright neon-colours. 

On the way to Akaroa I passed a particularly popular shed on the main stretch of State Highway 1, a place where the graffiti changes so often it’s difficult to know whether you are looking at vandalism or a very aggressive exhibition schedule. It functions as an unofficial gallery for street artists, a sort of living canvas with no opening hours and no curator. The thing about graffiti, of course, is that it’s illegal and surprisingly difficult to deny responsibility once your work has been identified. In late 2025, a 23-year-old North Canterbury man was arrested in connection with more than 500 tags across Canterbury and Otago, a body of work that included public bridges, toilets, walls, rubbish bins, walkways, light posts, former gun emplacements, train tracks, water tanks, and drainage pipes. Proving himself to be, if nothing else, committed to his art.