Rotorua Red Cross tagged over Christmas period, calls for help cleaning

Red Cross volunteer Wilhelmina Schepers in front of the extensively tagged building. Photo / Stephen Parker

Rotorua Red Cross is calling for help to clean its building after it was tagged using blue vivid over the Christmas break.

Bay of Plenty Red Cross humanitarian services co-ordinator Julie Forrest returned from her break to find Rangiuru St centre covered in graffiti.

"I've got a to-do list a mile long and while this isn't the end of the world, it is a nuisance," Forrest said.

The tagging was done over the New Year period. Photo / Supplied

"It would be absolutely amazing to have some volunteers show up to help us remove what has been left on walls, signs and parts of the building."

She describes the tagging, done with a blue vivid, as not a visual disturbance from the roadside.

"While the graffiti is extensive, it is quite fine. We've had worse in the past."

Forrest believes some of the words and pictures that have appeared this time have been tagged on the building in earlier incidents of graffiti.

The tagging is 'extensive' and was done in blue vivid. Photo / Supplied

Included are a number of fists and the letters MK.

"I am inclined to think someone walking past has seen the large amount of clothes and rubbish left on the front porch as donations and perhaps been interested in what's there.

"The felt pen may have even been left as part of one of the donations," she said.

Forrest said donated goods were not her department and she had asked the Red Cross North Island retail manager to see if donated goods could be cleared from the front of the building each day of the Christmas and New Year break.

The tagging features a large fist. Photo / Supplied

"This hasn't happened and it may well have been a catalyst to the graffiti."

Although disappointed with the tagging, she said at least the building had not been broken into or windows smashed, which had happened "over and over" in the past.

"We've installed bars on windows and alarms in an attempt to stop the damage, this latest incident is a nuisance more than anything."

Forrest said she had planned to "look around" for some help to get rid of the tagging but hadn't had a chance to do it yet.

"If there was someone out there with a bit of spare time and a little know-how, it would be greatly appreciated."