Hawkins George: Summary Offences (Tagging and Graffiti Vandalism) Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Hawkins George: Summary Offences (Tagging and Graffiti Vandalism) Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 19 June 2008. Volume:647;Page:16790. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS (Labour—Manurewa) 
: 
 I want to start by talking about Manukau City which led the way for legislation on graffiti. It would also be most appropriate for me to take this opportunity to wish the Mayor of Manukau City Len Brown all the best with his health. He is going through difficult times a bit like Manukau itself over recent years.  
Manukau had its own local bill but today’s bill—the Summary Offences (Tagging and Graffiti Vandalism) Amendment Bill—is far better because it covers the whole of New Zealand. I listened to the first two speeches from Darren Hughes and Judith Collins and I agree with them. I have been in this Parliament 18 years and in that time I have seen the problem of graffiti get worse and worse. But in South Auckland we are a special breed. We have got together and sorted out the problem so to speak. I think there is a lot of value in the MMP style of Parliament when one is dealing with legislation such as this. We can go and talk to Opposition members and to members from other parties although we do not always convince them.  
What is particular about this bill is that many people in New Zealand think that as a result all of a sudden graffiti will disappear overnight. The reality is that it will not disappear overnight but this is a way of showing New Zealanders that we do not appreciate people painting on someone’s house or fence. We have to say as a Parliament that that is not right. Quite often we blame the police when there are social problems such as graffiti. Why do the police not catch these characters? Why do the police not round them up? Well we have the best police in New Zealand in my electorate of Manurewa. I want people to know that Inspector Alan Shearer and the men and women who work for him do a splendid job and that sometimes other things—worse crimes—take their minds off graffiti.  
Parliament is actually sending a message to people about respect for one another and respect for one another’s property. Elderly people who have had their house painted on do not have the ability to grab a paint brush and a can of paint and paint out the graffiti. They worry they panic and they feel unsafe. Well Parliament is now saying that we will not have any more of that. We will support the councils. Some excellent councils have worked on this issue. Obviously Manukau City Council has been at the forefront but so have Waitakere City Council Auckland City Council and especially one small council very close to home called Papakura District Council. Papakura’s mayor goes out at night and talks to the kids from 11-year-olds upwards who are out there. He will feel far more empowered when he knows that Parliament is right behind him.  
This Government has listened to the people and it is acting. I am pleased that so many other members of Parliament will support this bill. Some think that graffiti is art. Well in a former life I was the head of an art department of a secondary school in South Auckland and I can tell the House that painting on people’s fences and spraying slogans and signs to show that one belongs to a gang is not art. People display gang-type behaviour and go around spraying like an old tom-cat with devastating consequences. The TV media show people doing graffiti art—that sends out the wrong message. People on the radio talk about graffiti being an art form—that is the wrong message. The clear message from this Government is that graffiti is not acceptable. We are giving councils more power and the community more power and I think that is really important.  
There are some really good people in every community. In Manurewa most people are superb. We have a lot of graffiti but it is not all performed by locals. People travel a long way to graffiti. We also have people like the Rev. Mark Beale who runs the beautification programme. He spends hours working with people many of whom have been unemployed getting rid of graffiti. Manukau City spends a million dollars a year doing that. It would not be proper for me not to mention also the work done by the previous mayor Sir Barry Curtis and by the present mayor Len Brown.  
When we have a bill that is a part of an overall strategy—as Labour has—we start to make progress. We start to make people think they can have their neighbourhoods back. We start to make people believe they can feel confident. When we look at this issue we realise that we are supporting not only our community but also our young people. Just imagine being a young person and because of peer pressure having to go out with one’s mates in winter and graffiti. We saw the tragic consequence of that recently where a resident was charged with the murder of a graffiti artist. I do not want to talk about that too much because the case is before the courts but it shows the frustration felt. Many people have come to me to say they really support this legislation.  
I am pleased to speak about this issue. I was quite chuffed when the Manukau City Council (Control of Graffiti) Bill was passed by the House but I am even happier today because the Summary Offences (Tagging and Graffiti Vandalism) Amendment Bill is for all of New Zealand. It never hurts to be the first one to say something—others then realise that what is being said is important. That is one of the really great things about this particular Parliament. People talk to each other and sometimes we manage to work together to solve community problems. It is really important in Parliament that we talk to each other instead of “at” each other. When we can do that we can get results. I am very pleased to support the third reading of the Summary Offences (Tagging and Graffiti Vandalism) Amendment Bill.