Carterton targets graffiti | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Businesses and homeowners will be asked to do more to keep Carterton graffiti-free under a new policy put to council this week.

The draft graffiti policy for Carterton District Council will be put to councillors at a meeting tomorrow, and focuses on urging building owners and occupiers to clean up any tagging on their property - and quickly, to deter further tagging in the same area.

Carterton community facilities manager Brian McWilliams said the scheme was simply aiming to "to have a really pretty town".

He said that meant people needed to take more responsibility for their buildings.

"There are some walls in town that have tagging on them and it just stays there. If graffiti stays on the wall the longer it stays there the more it gets added to."

The draft policy states that "Graffiti on private property is the responsibility of the owner/occupier".

"If the occupier/property owner does not remove graffiti within five working, consent should be given for the council to remove the graffiti at the occupier/property owner's expense."

The council spends up to $20,000 per year removing graffiti from council buildings, but Mr McWilliams said in his investigations he found that one council in New Zealand spent $600,000 every year erasing the tagging from its own buildings and also those of residents.

"That's crazy, [people] should take responsibility for their own buildings because Mrs Brown, the ratepayer, shouldn't have to pay for it."

Currently there are several council strategies already in place to curb the level of graffiti, with CCTV cameras in place in High St, lighting installed in dark places, and murals painted on previously tagged walls.

The council also has a policy that states all derogatory graffiti must be removed or covered within four working hours of being reported.

Non-explicit graffiti must be removed within three working days.

Mr McWilliams said a pamphlet with tips on deterring and dealing with graffiti will also be distributed to property owners.

It includes advice such as planting hedges in front of fences or walls, using dark colours on fences, favouring open wire fencing over wood or concrete, and even installing private security cameras.

Asked how people would react to the policy he said: "There's no point always being sheep following everyone else - sometimes you have to try things and see how they go."