Tony Nightingale

Tony Nightingale

Inducted: 2018
Industry: Manufacturing

Tony Nightingale, son of Resene Paints founder Ted, joined the Resene family business in the late 1950s and officially took over in 1972. Tony made two decisions that transformed both Resene and the industry: developing lead-free paint; and marketing directly to trade and architects.

His intuitive feel for the market expanded the business dramatically. The purchase of Mason Handprints a small wallpaper company. The central Wellington office was soon transformed into Resene’s first ‘ColorShop’ and was the forerunner for the national chain of stores. The company pioneered the development of coloured paint bases and has built a reputation as New Zealand’s colour leader. Like his father,

Tony was an innovator, taking the company multinational and introducing new products, processes and colour systems. Tony supported many charitable institutions including Life Flight and Wellington’s Mary Potter Hospice.