Turning graffiti from bad to good in Te Puna and Minden is proving a successful mission, says the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.
The team has been working with youth at risk to create public art.
Public toilets at the Wairoa Bridge in Te Puna, the water reservoir on the Minden and the Maramatanga Park toilets have been transformed from graffiti canvasses to colourful murals telling the story of the each area.
Community development officer Ben Wilson took the project under his wing after the residents in these areas became frustrated and angry at the repeated graffiti attacks on the Te Puna Hall and other buildings.
Mr Wison worked with the Pirirakau Hauora to identify youth at risk and started encouraging them to turn their art to more creative directions on the very buildings they had previously vandalised.
A workshop with the young offenders and Maori art design company Moana Moko was held on the local marae in Te Puna at which the Moana Moko artists shared their technical knowledge aspects of artistic expression with the young people.
The young people were also taken to the Te Puna War Memorial Hall where they were shown the Honour Roll on which many of their ancestor's names were honoured for service in WWI.
Since the artworks were created, there has been no grafitti attacks on the buildings, nore Te Puna Hall.
Mr Wilson said it had been a great success story for the council and for the young artists - and added value to the district.
"Our council asset managers are thrilled that these Council buildings are no longer being vandalised and the feedback we have had from the Te Puna community has been awesome.
The council would be working with local youth elsewhere in the district to change graffiti vandalism into creative artwork.
Funding assistance of $8000 for the project was given by Council's community partner Tauranga Moana Safe City.