New tagging measures a positive step For immediate release on 15 February 2008

“Councils have been asking for tough measures to combat the graffiti problem for many years,” says Local Government New Zealand President Basil Morrison.

“Graffiti is a huge problem for many councils, particularly in urban areas. It requires a national response through appropriate legislation and resourcing at a central government level.”

Local Government New Zealand welcomes the government’s new STOP Strategy to ban the sale of spray paint cans to juveniles and introduce tougher sentencing of offenders.

“Tagging is a destructive force in our communities and violates people’s right to clean and safe public spaces.

“We are pleased the government is responding to this serious issue by funding prevention and community anti-tagging initiatives,” says Mr Morrison.

Mr Morrison says that councils have zero tolerance towards unauthorised graffiti.

“Local government has actively sought penalties that reflect how serious the community views graffiti. Councils want taggers to pay for their actions.

“We appreciate the government’s recognition of the problem and look forward to working with central government on the detail of the proposals,” says Mr Morrison.

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