Williams Andrew: Hutt City Council (Graffiti Removal) Bill — First Reading 
Williams Andrew: Hutt City Council (Graffiti Removal) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:677;Page:730] 
ANDREW WILLIAMS (NZ First) 
: 
 I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to support the Hutt City Council (Graffiti Removal) Bill and I would like to commend the Hon Trevor Mallard Mayor Ray Wallace of the Hutt City Council and indeed the Hutt City Council itself for putting this forward.  
Graffiti is a subject that is very dear to my heart and having been involved with local government for 9 years it was a subject that I was very much involved in both as a councillor and as the Mayor of North Shore. We were very proud on the North Shore to be one of the areas with the lowest rate of graffiti in the whole of Auckland because we really did aim to knock it on the head. Can I at this stage commend and give thanks to the likes of the unTAG Trust and other trusts on the North Shore and indeed in other parts of New Zealand that are involved in graffiti removal. Many of these trusts are supported by local authorities and local councils to remove the graffiti. Our policy at the time was removal of graffiti within 24 hours and it was amazing how many—some of them volunteers—were out with the support of the council and with the support of some of the paint companies too to provide paint and that sort of thing to paint over graffiti within a very short space of time. We were also the first council to introduce a database to graph the graffiti keep a record of it and build up a database of the offenders. By profiling the offenders and the graffiti we could soon work out who were the regular culprits and in so doing when they were finally caught they could be taken to court and charged with a series of offences. Often we were able to recover funds from them to rectify the costs to the ratepayers and to the city.  
Where there is graffiti it breeds crime and it is no wonder that in cities around the world where you see a lot of graffiti it goes hand in hand with crime. Therefore there is an incentive to remove graffiti as fast as possible to provide a better environment for the citizens and the residents of any city. People feel threatened and they feel unsafe in an area that has been tagged and you will know when you go to certain areas that are heavily tagged that you feel a little bit more insecure. We had an experience for instance—my wife and I—travelling down the rail corridor on one of the trains from Auckland to the central North Island. I was appalled by the amount of graffiti in the rail corridor heading out of Auckland. That train was mainly full of foreign tourists. We do have a Minister of Tourism but I do not think he has probably ever taken a train out of Auckland and seen the amount of graffiti there is. Perhaps that is something that our Minister of Tourism could do. I cannot recall who he is because he does not do a great deal in tourism I believe. Perhaps the Minister of Tourism could put his mind to graffiti as well as part of his portfolio to overcome things like graffiti in the rail corridors in Auckland Wellington and in other places.  
We also I think need to put this hand in hand with other bylaws. As a council in the North Shore we also brought in bylaws to control aerosol spray-cans and access to the actual graffiti sprays. We required that the DIY stores and other retailers put them in glass cabinets. It is amazing; if you take away the source of the graffiti materials—the actual spray-cans—and make it difficult for people to access them it actually does also reduce graffiti. So I think it is important that around New Zealand we think a lot more smartly on this matter because it is not just about removing the graffiti; it is also about apprehending the culprits and about taking away the source of the graffiti itself. 
 In closing can I say this is another situation that the National Government needs to turn its mind to. It is another cost to local government. We have been hearing for weeks and weeks now of the National Government coming down on local authorities and saying that the rates are going up and up and up. This is another reminder to this National Government that local authorities throughout New Zealand do have to cover a huge amount of requirements on behalf of their communities. Graffiti is yet another cost to councils yet another cost to ratepayers. If the councils did not undertake the graffiti removal this country would not remain with its “100% Pure New Zealand” clean green image; therefore this is another cost to the local councils. I certainly hope in commending this bill to the House that the National Government will give cognisance to the fact that once again local government is stepping up to the mark and doing its bit. Thank you.