Mayor paints city in good light

Mayor Dick Hubbard says he will sign his painting of the Auckland of the future if asked. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard has put paint to canvas to outline his vision of Auckland for the future - and it includes happy faces streaming into the Dick Hubbard Rapid Transit Centre, aka Britomart, and a mature pohutukawa on One Tree Hill.

The large, unsigned canvas will be unveiled by the novice artist at a Planning Institute conference in Auckland today where participants are being urged to think outside the square and be creative about the shape, form and nature of cities of the future.

Mr Hubbard has certainly done that, albeit with a little artistic direction from the council's Artstation in Ponsonby.

He swears the work, with "subtle artistic connotations" and "expressionism" is all his own, done over three hours.

"This is a very genuine Hubbard piece. It's not signed but I'm very happy to put my name to it," said the mayor, mindful of the trouble Prime Minister Helen Clark got into over signing an artwork painted by someone else.

To borrow some arty jargon, Mr Hubbard said the "centrality" of the painting and his vision was the Britomart transport centre, renamed the Dick Hubbard Rapid Transit Centre, with crowds of colourful, happy people.

"And around that an amalgam of where we see Auckland City. Yes, there are still roads ... you will notice the distinct low frequency of traffic on the roads incorporating tunnels, urban form and high rises surrounded by plenty of green spaces," Mr Hubbard said.

Art critic Hamish Keith took one look at the painting and said Mr Hubbard should stick to his day job.