Constant graffitiing of a stretch of highway in Tauranga is 'downgrading the city” says one local, who is calling for the culprits to be caught.

Graeme Devereaux is fed up with seeing the tagging along State Highway 2 each day, when he drops his children at school.

The vandalism happens along walls on 15th Ave at the start of SH2 and a large concrete wall further along SH2 on Takitimu Drive.

'It seems to be graffitied once every couple of weeks and then the council go along and paint it out and then it happens again, it's like a loop,” Devereaux told Local Democracy Reporting.

'It downgrades the city. I mean, who wants to go to a city with tagging and graffiti all over the place, who wants to live in a city like that?

'Something needs to be done to try and catch the culprits.”

He suggests installing cameras along that stretch to try and identify the vandals.

'I hope that something is done and not in the distant future, but in the near future. Otherwise it'll just keep on going, and it'll get worse.

'When I first came to Tauranga it was never like this, we didn't have anywhere near as much graffiti as what we've got at the moment,” says Devereaux, who has lived in Tauranga for 10 years.

'It's on the motorway columns, overpasses, it's all over the place. There's graffiti on people's fences.

'The city looks terrible. Graffiti is ruining the city.”

He is concerned about the cost of having to constantly paint out the tags.

'They must be spending huge amounts of money paying these people to go paint this graffiti out, only to find that in a few days' time or a week's time it's back.

'So, wouldn't it be cheaper to put cameras up there to try and catch these people?”

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Bay of Plenty system manager Roger Brady says the agency is aware that, that section of Takitimu drive was often targeted by graffiti.

'All graffiti in urban Tauranga is removed by Tauranga City Council contractors on our behalf,” says Brady.

He says Waka Kotahi does not hold information on the sites, dates or times that graffiti is cleaned around the region.

When asked if the agency had considered the use of cameras as a deterrent for vandals, Brady replied: 'Waka Kotahi does not currently fund the installation of additional CCTV cameras on the network for graffiti monitoring purposes.”

'Current funding is allocated to existing CCTV assets that play an important part in ensuring the safety and efficiency of the Tauranga and wider Bay of Plenty state highway network.

'We respond to road safety issues as a priority, for instance potholes and other surfacing issues.

'Whilst unsightly, graffiti is not considered a road user safety issue.”

Tauranga City Council has a budget of $180,000 per year to remove graffiti. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.

Tauranga City Council transport director Brendan Bisley says the cost of removing graffiti depends on the size and location of the vandalism, and whether traffic management is needed to remove it safely.

Bisley says council had a budget of $180,000 per year to provide graffiti removal services.

'Graffiti, or tagging, is a serious crime that affects the whole community, and requires a strong community response,” he says.

'The best way people can take action against tagging is by cleaning it up as soon as possible.”

The council provided a free graffiti removal service for residential and small business owners who were unable to remove it themselves, says Bisley.

To be eligible for the service the graffiti must be visible from the road, he says.

Local Democracy Reporting asked Bisley what to do if people see graffiti or someone tagging.

If people see graffiti that was racist or contained bad language, they should call the council immediately on 07 577 7000, he says.

'We also ask people to call us if they see graffiti on council-owned assets and infrastructure, including roads and highways.

'Graffiti on private businesses should be reported to the affected business for removal. Serious vandalism should be reported to the Tauranga Police,” says Bisley.

'People who see vandalism taking place should not approach the offender. Rather, they should call 111 from a safe distance, and keep watching or take a photo if possible.”

'The safety of our community is our primary concern and we encourage anyone who see suspicious activity to phone 111 immediately,” he says.

When asked to comment on whether graffiti was 'downgrading the city” Bisley replied: 'Working together to reduce vandalism in Tauranga helps to create a city we can all be proud of.”

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.