Bid to curb vandals

At 16 Isaac Leef was a graffiti vandal, using his skills to deface other people's property.

He came to realise the error of his ways, however, and now he wants to use his experience to steer Kaitaia's graffiti vandals away from a life of crime and on to the straight and narrow, by using their talents for good.

Mr Leef, who runs Kaitaia's One Off Customs design store with wife Danica, has teamed up with Kaitaia's police in a bid to turn wayward youth around.

He launched his plan at his Plaza shop last week, with the support of representatives of a range of community and social groups, including the Far North Safer Community Council, Street Maytz Kaitaia, the police, the Department of Conservation, the Waitomo Papakainga Development Society, Far North REAP, Te Oranga, Abundant Life Ministries, Team Kaitaia and the Kaitaia Business Association.

Mr Leef is now making a living from skills that were first honed via graffiti before developing into the art form he uses to portray more positive messages.

"I'm an ex-tagger who has done graffiti on other people's properties in my youth, but I've changed my ways and have used my art to make a living," he said.

"I want to tell those young people doing tagging that there is another way, that they don't have to feel they are in a dead end place with no hope or no future. They can use their talents to make a living and do something positive for themselves and for their community."

Mr Leef understood where young people, many of them feeling disenfranchised or hopeless, were coming from, as he had once been in their shoes. He had already begun mentoring several young taggers, and had been "blown away" by their skills and talents.

"They could definitely make a living from their art; now it's a case of me helping them to do so," he said.

He believed that hearing positive messages from someone who had "been there done that" would have far greater resonance with young people than if they came from someone else.

"There are some pretty mean artists out there who all have something to say, and they can use urban art as a way of expressing themselves and getting their message across without tagging somebody's property," he said.

"It takes hard work and dedication to make it, but I'm here to help in any way I can."

He was hoping to gain access to an abandoned building in Kaitaia where youngsters would be able to develop their skills and showcase their talents.

Constable Joe Duncan, a member of Kaitaia's Neighbourhood Policing Team, said the police were right behind Mr Leef. The police ran a Tag-Free Kiwi programme in Far North schools, and were keen to work alongside him to rid the town of graffiti.