History 

Knox & Anderson Painters & Paperhangers was started in 1953 in Dunedin, by Keith Knox and Drewe Anderson.  Both had just completed five-year apprenticeships at Aburns and the Education Board respectively. They set up premises at 237 Main South Road, Green Island, and on completion of the Southern Motorway, they moved to 14 Neill St, Green Island where our storage facility remains today.

Soon the business grew to six staff and Knox & Anderson took on their first apprentice, Graeme Knox Keith’s nephew. An inspired commitment to the support of young people in Dunedin had begun, and Knox & Anderson have trained

Drewe’s son Ian Anderson started as an apprentice with the business in 1974 and qualified four years later.  The business continued to grow with over 15 staff on the books at this stage. Specialising in residential new and repaints, they were getting a reputation for quality and reliability, and had grown good partnerships with quality builders like Walker & Hasler, AJ Price and Stevenson & Williams where the relationship has lasted to the present day.

Knox & Anderson’s long involvement with the Master Painters started in 1969 when they became members of the then NZ Guild of Master Painters Decorators & Signwriters. Keith was the Otago President from 1970-71, and 34 years later Ian Anderson became president, having two terms from 2005-2007 & 2014-2015.

Keith Knox passed away in 1984 and Drewe began to give Ian more responsibility, including the day to day running of the business.  When Drewe retired in 1993,  Ian & his wife Sandra bought Knox & Anderson Ltd.

Ian has continued the successful formula that Drewe and Keith had created, by focusing on providing a positive working environment for the team, delivering quality workmanship, and building strong partnerships thereby gaining the trust of their customers.

In 2018 Andy Campbell joined the team becoming Ian’s Business Partner and Director of Knox & Anderson Ltd. Andy has spent 30 successful years in the paint industry working for Dulux, Johnstones Paints, and Kalon in the UK, before returning home to Dunedin and working for Wattyl & Valspar as their National Commercial & Granosite Manager.

Our continued commitment to providing Dunedin customers with quality workmanship and good communication is why we are the “ Trusted decorators since 1953”