Some of the graffiti on the walkway between Trinity Wharf and the Tauranga Harbour Bridge. Photo / Andrew Warner
Some of the graffiti on the walkway between Trinity Wharf and the Tauranga Harbour Bridge. Photo / Andrew Warner
Tauranga City Council is yet to win the battle to stamp out graffiti and tagging, with more than $160,000 spent to remove vandals’ tags in the past financial year, and just over $89,000 in the past six months.
Tauranga City Council director of transport Brendan Bisley said the council budgeted $180,000 a year for graffiti removal services, and on average the majority of reports of graffiti and tagging vandalism each month were from residents and businesses in Mount Maunganui, Tauranga city and Pāpāmoa.
Taggers most often targeted commercial buildings and transport assets such as bridges, underpasses, alleyways and bus shelters, he said.
Council’s contractors responded to 7890 reports of graffiti or vandalism between January 1 and December 31 last year, including removing 766 tags in December alone, 285 of which were removed from transport structures and the roading network, Bisley said.
Removing graffiti cost ratepayers $160,466.33 in the financial year to June 30, 2022 compared to $156,473 for the previous 12 months, and so far this financial year, tagging and graffiti removal across Tauranga has cost $89,113 as at December 31, 2022, he said.
More tagging and graffiti vandalism underneath the highway heading over the Tauranga Harbour Bridge. Photo / Sandra Conchie
Of the 766 tags removed in December, 285 were removed from transport structures and along the network, and Tauranga city had the largest number of tags removed (158), and graffiti removal costs in December cost ratepayers $13,710.50.
Tauranga City Council director of transport Brendan Bisley. Photo / NZME
Bisley said graffiti or tagging was a serious crime that affected the whole community, and required a strong community response.
“The best way people can take action against tagging is by cleaning it up as soon as possible.”
He said the council provided a free graffiti removal service for residents and small business property owners who are unable to remove this type of vandalism themselves.
To be eligible for the service the graffiti must be visible from the road, he said.
Bisley said the service was aimed at delivering a zero-tolerance approach to graffiti vandalism and people were encouraged to report suspicious activity and also those caught in the act to the police by calling 111 immediately.
“The safety of our community is our primary concern and anyone who sees vandalism taking place should not approach the offender - rather, they should phone 111 from a safe distance.”
Brian Berry, chairman of Downtown Tauranga. Photo / Andrew Warner
Downtown Tauranga chairman Brian Berry said this type of vandalism was “very frustrating” especially as Tauranga CBD was going through a transformation and the last thing retailers, businesses and shoppers needed was seeing tagging everywhere.
Berry said he had been thinking about what more could be done to get on top of the problem for some time
“I think the problem is not going to stop unless we take a more strategic approach, which starts with removing the tags as fast as possible and encouraging more commercial property owners to use anti-graffiti guards on their buildings so tags can be removed more easily and hopefully deters further attacks.”
Berry said he and his team had been discussing the possibility of using some of the $180,000 graffiti removal budget to get more legal street art in and around the CBD, so it’s not only a “more exciting place to visit” but hopefully deter taggers who tended to leave these types of larger artworks alone.
Graffiti along a public walkway and underneath the Tauranga Harbour Bridge. Photo / Sandra Conchie
Berry also said he believed the city should also be exploring creating some kind of street art trail around the CBD like other cities have done for the same reason.
Pāpāmoa Residents and Ratepayer Association chairman Philip Brown said this type of vandalism had a significant impact on the community,
“I think tagging seems to be absolutely useless recreational activity because it costs ratepayers tens of thousands of dollars each year to remove and also makes our suburbs look poor.
“It’s really important these tags are removed as quickly as possible and if anyone sees someone tagging they need to call the police straight away.”
Brown said the police kept a log of these tags and complaints so they can track offenders to enable them to hold them accountable and they can fight the battle against tagging alone.
A spokeswoman from the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said graffiti on the urban state highway network within Tauranga City boundaries was removed by Tauranga City Council contractors on the agency’s behalf.
It had cost Waka Kotahi $105,395.83 over the three-year financial years to June 30, 2021, for graffiti removal from Tauranga City’s state highways, she said.
“From July 2021, the process changed to a third party contractor involving Waka Kotahi directly, and the agency now pays the contractor a fixed rate of $2,558 a month for graffiti removal from the city’s highways.”
