Sio Su'a William: Manukau City Council (Control of Graffiti) Bill — Third Reading 
Sio Su'a William: Manukau City Council (Control of Graffiti) Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:646;Page:15753] 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO (Labour) 
: 
 I briefly endorse all that the Prime Minister and party leaders have said earlier in conveying our deepest sorrows and sympathies to the students families school and community of Elim Christian College in Howick Manukau City. E nga mate haere haere haere. May the dark clouds that hover over those families quickly dissipate. 
I rise to make a small contribution to the third reading of the Manukau City Council (Control of Graffiti) Bill. Before doing so I say to members of the House that I am a Manukau resident. I am also a sitting member of Manukau City Council— 
Nathan Guy 
: Still on the council? 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO 
: —and I will have resigned from that office when this House returns from the adjournment break in May. I have been the chair of the council’s annual plan committee from 2004 to 2007 and I remember that we have always received a large number of submissions from the community on graffiti. The funding for graffiti reduction was a constant matter of debate in the council meetings. I am aware that Manukau City Council when it considered whether to approach this House through the Hon George Hawkins did not make the decision lightly; it made the decision to do so after a long and serious process of consideration debate and listening to its community. 
When graffiti first hit the streets of South Auckland and Manukau in the 1970s it began with a few tags and scribbles here and there. It was generally considered by the public to be a nuisance. In those days there was an unwritten understanding that certain places were not to be tagged because they were sacred or tapu. That is no longer the case—that was then. Today I am aware that Manukau City Council spends over $1 million on quick graffiti removal and community education and prevention. This work is carried out by the Manukau Beautification Charitable Trust and its hard-working volunteers many of whom are staff. A host of volunteers come from churches local schools and other community groups. The Manukau Beautification Charitable Trust is chaired by its hard-working chairman the Rev. Mark Beale who travelled overseas at his own expense to learn how we could from the experience of others overseas tackle the problem in Manukau. I am aware that Manukau City Council felt that without effective legislation to back those initiatives the city would be fighting a losing battle. This is the context for the decision we made in 2004 with Sir Barry Curtis as mayor to promote this bill through the Hon George Hawkins. Now with Len Brown as mayor the council has continued to advocate for this bill to go through Parliament. 
I acknowledge that concerns were raised by some in this House with particular reference to young people. I assure members that this bill is not aimed at curbing the artistic and creative talents of our young people. Aerosol art and the creative talents of our young people are not at issue here. Manukau is the land of the young the beautiful and the gifted and we want all of our young people to aim high. The bill will in many ways raise the standard for our young people and it will reinforce and give strength to the work that the community already does now. It will allow for the penalising of graffiti offenders and it will provide the council with powers to remove graffiti on private property and to control the sale of spray-paint in the city. I have also heard some members say that this will not solve the problem—that people who do the tagging will go over to Auckland City and buy their spray-cans there. That could very well happen which is why there would have initially been reluctance from many in this House about this bill. 
I heard earlier my learned colleague across on the opposite side of the House accuse my young and handsome colleague here Mr Martin Gallagher of voting against this bill at the select committee stage. That may be so but Mr Gallagher is someone who shows good leadership in this House. He is part of a Labour-led Government that recognises strong leadership. When Manukau City Council put a stake in the ground and showed this House and this nation what true leadership is about Martin Gallagher and the Labour-led Government understood and recognised that kind of leadership. This Government has engaged listened considered and then acted swiftly and deliberately to support this bill. 
Tonight I acknowledge the Government for supporting this bill; for the launch of the Stop Tagging Our Place strategy; and for its willingness to listen engage and understand the aspirations and needs of all of our communities in particular Manukau City. I acknowledge the Hon George Hawkins for persevering on behalf of the people of Manukau City and thank all those members who considered and supported this bill. I thank in particular those members who reside in Manukau City for their voice on this issue. I also say to His Worship the Mayor Len Brown and the councillors and community board members who may be listening “Good on ya for persevering. You have showed this House and in particular members of the House how important it is to listen and engage with our communities and to show good leadership.” The Manukau Beautification Charitable Trust which is chaired by Rev. Mark Beale also needs to be acknowledged as do the churches and schools that day in day out have to deal with graffiti. I acknowledge them all and say that tonight we have created history with Manukau City George Hawkins and the Labour-led Government by passing this bill.