Ad now has the time to pursue his passion for painting. Photos by Bruce Nicholson.

New Zealanders have a reputation for being innovative, and what we can’t do with Number 8 fencing wire probably isn’t worth mentioning.

Similarly, the Dutch seem to have a reputation for being savvy and creative in matters of design and Ad Leijnen certainly fits that description. The only thing Ad’s sharp mind hasn’t picked up since immigrating to New Zealand in 1952, however, is the Kiwi accent, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. 

Ad trained as a mechanical engineer in Europe and when he arrived here, aged 22 years, he started a long and successful career designing mechanical solutions mostly for companies in the food processing and packaging industries. He won a Designmark award in 1979 for one of his projects – a motorised drum for conveyor belts and on a lighter note developed a machine for Cadbury’s to make Liquorice Allsorts.

The corrugated iron Ad sourced came pre-painted and in perfect rooster tones.

He possessed an eclectic mix of skills as a young boy – an interest in the Arts combined with the analytical, practical mind of an engineer. He was a big fan of Meccano, liked to paint and tried his hand at sculpture. He was inspired by Michelangelo’s David and attempted to replicate details from the face of this famous work.

This stood him in good stead when he attended ceramic classes at Tamaki College in the late 1960s, and as a proud new father, sculpted a very successful clay bust of his one-year-old daughter.

But it was 50 years before Ad turned his hand again to artistic pursuits, although he’s quick to claim that building is an art and having designed and built nine houses, most of them in Howick and Pakuranga – some were baches, others were family homes – he’s certainly had plenty of experience with this very practical art form.  

When Ad retired he started making corrugated iron sculptures – pigs and roosters mostly, from recycled shed and fencing iron. Initially he cut the iron by hand but this was very hard going, until he bought some iron cutters.

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The family of pigs that Ad built.

He has taken up painting again too, still lifes mostly, as well as portraits, although his iron sculptures are selling more frequently than his canvases. 

While Ad says his art is a way to keep him occupied, he’s too practical not to achieve something with his time.

He’s still involved with various engineering projects and is presently patenting a product he has big hopes for.

There are other projects on the boil too, and there’s always the challenge of painting something he’s really happy with.

Ad hasn’t made many iron sculptures lately. “Corrugated iron is quite hard to come by and when I do find some, it’s usually too expensive. To make any money from them, you really need to get the iron for free,” he says.

So, if anyone has any old iron they don’t want, why not send Ad a message on a.w.l@xtra.co.nz and keep a creative man busy. It would make his wife happy too!