Police are investigating after white paint was poured over the rainbow crossing on Karangahape Rd in Auckland overnight.
Nobody has taken responsibility for the vandalism, but it follows a similar action by Destiny Church members in Gisborne who were protesting a drag queen reading event at the local library.
Local leaders are “very disappointed” by the act with Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown calling the act “disgraceful”.
Destiny Church leader Brain Tamaki says he “doesn’t know” if his members were involved.
Police said the vandals went to great lengths to hide their identities, removing their registration plates and concealing their faces with balaclavas.
Auckland City Central Area Commander, Inspector Grant Tetzlaff, said the paint was poured on the crossing at 3.20am.
CCTV footage is being assessed to determine the identity of the vandals and police have released photos of the car and offenders in hopes the public can help as well.
“The vehicle is a distinctive, high gloss grey or white colour, with black roof racks and mag wheels,” Tetzlaff said.
“We have no tolerance for reports of this nature and when it appears to directly target a particular sector of our diverse community.”
Auckland’s rainbow crossing was completed outside St Kevin’s Arcade in 2021, during the city’s Pride Festival. It celebrates diversity and inclusion for LGBTQI+ people.
Auckland Transport infrastructure project manager Mark Banfield said he is “disappointed that people have willfully damaged” the crossing.
“This appalling act of vandalism happened at about 3.20am and we have done our best to minimise the damage.
“The crossing is an important part of the street that celebrates the rainbow community and we will be seeing what can be done to remediate it as soon as possible.”
A photo posted to social media site Reddit around 4am today showed the crossing completely covered in white paint.
However, with rain in the city overnight, the paint has since been smeared along the road by traffic, with most of the rainbow now visible again.
The Herald has approached police for comment.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says the painting is “disgraceful”.
“I’ve got no time for intolerance of people’s differences,” Brown said.
“Plus, this is just another form of graffiti on other people’s property that we will need to spend money fixing, which I hate.”
Auckland Central MP and Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said on X/Twitter that she was in touch with the relevant authorities to have the rainbow crossing fixed “immediately.
“It’s sad and bizarre some people are spending their energy suppressing simple symbols of the visibility and pride of our - my - rainbow community. You can’t paint over our existence. Love always wins.”
Swarbrick told the Herald she was in touch with Auckland Transport and the Karangahape Business Association to “get this fixed immediately”.
I am in touch with relevant authorities to have our Karangahape Rd rainbow crossing fixed immediately.
— Chlöe Swarbrick (@_chloeswarbrick) March 27, 2024
Swarbrick said fundamentally the culprits must be “embarrassed on some level” if they are covering their face like they are.
They will clean up the “silly slash of paint” and come out stronger than ever.
“They don’t know who they are messing with,” Swarbrick said.
Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki doesn’t know if his members were involved.
“I did not have anything to do with that, but it looks like a copycat job because it was painted all white and it was like the Gisborne one,” Tamaki said.
He said the first he heard of the vandalism was on this morning’s news report.
Waitematā local board member and Karangahape resident Richard Northey is “very disappointed” by the paint.
He said the crossing is indicative of the vibrant and tolerant community on the road and to see it covered sends the opposite message.
Northey said he knows most of Auckland stands with the LGBTQI+ community.
Auckland council member Richard Hills said he must hand up against hate.
“Ignorance [and] hateful views do not give people an excuse to erase our identities,” he said.
We must stand up against hate! Rainbow communities are welcome in Auckland!
— Richard Hills (@RichardHills_) March 27, 2024
Ignorance & hateful views do not give people an excuse to erase our identities. Let people be who they are in peace!
Dean Kimpton has said to me they’ll repaint the crossing as soon as weather allows. pic.twitter.com/URU3IATNkp
The vandalism comes after members of Destiny Church painted over the rainbow crossing on Gisborne’s main street on Monday. The group were protesting a Rainbow Storytime event at the local library, where drag queens read stories to children.
By Wednesday the Gisborne crossing had been repainted, with police expected to bill Destiny Church members for the work.
That led a number of protesters to return to the site, with Tamaki expressing his displeasure at the rainbow’s restoration.
Five protesters were arrested yesterday after attempts were made to paint slogans onto the repainted crossing.