Robertson H V Ross: Summary Offences (Tagging and Graffiti Vandalism) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Robertson H V Ross: Summary Offences (Tagging and Graffiti Vandalism) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:645;Page:14499] 
H V ROSS ROBERTSON (Labour—Manukau East) 
: 
 Kia ora Matua Simich tena koe. Tagging is a crime against the conscience of our nation and there should be zero tolerance for it. Commissioned graffiti art is something else and in the latter case if one was to visit the Otara markets in the Otara Town Centre then one would see artistic artwork there that people come from far and wide to look at and admire. All of us would deplore mindless vandalism and the result can have dire consequences as we have seen to our peril in Manukau City with the death of a young man. 
As a local member of Parliament I say that this is not the first time that the issue of graffiti has raised its ugly head. I can remember several meetings with the former Mayor of Manukau City Sir Barry Curtis when we sought to tackle this problem. Tagging is a disease. People almost become addicted to it and need a fix—just like a P junkie or a heroin junkie. One has just to go into a tagger’s room and see what it looks like; the walls are covered in their etchings. We know that these people leave their homes in the middle of the night to graffiti or tag wherever it takes them—whether it is over a motorway viaduct on a road safety sign on someone’s back fence or on a new housing estate. 
Graffiti and tagging are not New Zealand phenomena. I remember back in the early 1990s going on a calibration flight around the Pacific. We stopped off at Papua New Guinea. I was astounded by the similarities in tagging. It was all over the place. It reminded me of Manukau City. I drew a similarity in that respect because what I saw at that time were areas of high unemployment and low incomes. They were the areas of greatest need—deprived areas. Opportunities existed but people are a product of their environment. 
I turn now to Government policy. We have listened and learnt and have decided to act now. Congratulations must go to my colleague the Hon George Hawkins who championed the issue with Manukau City Council. Congratulations must go also to the Minister of Police and Minister of Justice Annette King who brought the issue through Cabinet and to the caucus and to my colleague the Hon Phil Goff who helped to do that. 
Research suggests that graffiti vandalism can create the perception in the public that tagged areas are unsafe and can contribute to the deterioration of the quality of life in certain neighbourhoods. The objectives of this bill are to redress graffiti vandalism and tagging by a number of means. One of them is that the bill requires that spray-cans for sale must be kept securely so that members of the public cannot gain access to them without the help of an employee. Good employers already have controls on spray-cans but I have heard tales of unethical petrol station owners who do not care to whom they sell them. This area will need policing and it is one I hope the select committee will look at. 
I believe that people have long underestimated the effects of tagging on the well-being of our nation and our people. We as a country are known worldwide as being clean and green. Yet Manukau is where New Zealand touches the world. All our visitors when they come here come first to Manukau. What greets them? Tagging and graffiti greet them. “Clean up Manukau.” has become a war cry for those who work to rub out tagging. This legislation is a start on the long road to doing something and to making Manukau and New Zealand beautiful. Tatou tatou; together together. Together we serve and together we will prosper. 
I will touch on the issue of police involvement. I hope this legislation will give police the incentive to apprehend taggers. I am sure the status quo covered by sections 11 and 33 of the Summary Offences Act and section 269 of the Crimes Act has proved inadequate in bringing offenders to justice. If we talked to police about this issue they asked what the point was in apprehending a tagger. The legislation had no teeth. It required hours and hours of mindless paperwork for no direct benefit. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: The police always say that. 
H V ROSS ROBERTSON 
: That may be so but there may well be some truth in it as well. If this legislation does anything it sends a message that enough is enough. The people have spoken and we have listened. Education is the key—educate educate educate. Be a tidy Kiwi. Keep New Zealand clean. I support this bill going to a select committee. Tihei mauri ora! Tena koutou tena koutou tena koutou katoa.