23 Mar 2015 Graffiti remains an ongoing issue which affects us all. Paint New Zealand Beautiful Month 2015 has been a tremendous success. As part of this initiative, our Graffiti Free Week had an overwhelming response, with nearly 20 councils and regional groups working feverishly to keep their towns tidy and their cities spotless, in total covering an estimated 28,150 square metres of graffiti. Perceptions that graffiti and tagging are growing problems are reinforced by steps taken by courts, police, local government and Parliament to introduce more effective intervention strategies. Local government expenditures on graffiti and tagging clean-up efforts represents a significant commitment from limited resources. KNZB understands the need to broker close working relationships with local councils as well as external bodies and governmental agencies to tackle graffiti, although the depth and reach of these partnerships vary. We work closely with town planning teams, parks and leisure teams; community safety teams; youth representatives such as schools, youth groups, youth offending teams and local branches of our national body. KNZB has recently teamed up with its sister organisation, Keep Australia Beautiful, to launch a trans-Tasman assault on visual litter. KNZB urges residents and business owners to report visual litter on 0800 TIDY NZ or at www.knzb.org.nz. Top tips for targeting taggers: Report new graffiti and offenders as soon as possible. Most councils, police and police have a reporting service. Alternatively, you can phone KNZB to report graffiti, 0800 TIDY NZ. Repair and get rid graffiti ASAP to discourage further conduct. Educate fellow residents and business owners that graffiti is vandalism and has no artistic merit. Apply to local councils for assistance to have graffiti removed from private property. Consult a landscape designer on ways to deter illegal graffiti through environmental design elements. Adopt-a-Spot: Invite the local community to keep a part of their area clean and graffiti-free. KNZB offers free kits to local community groups and individuals who wish to eradicate graffiti in their neighbourhoods. Graffiti Free Week 2015 was proudly sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and Resene. By working together, we can Keep New Zealand a Beautiful and safe place for our children. Share this page
