Help get graffiti off the wall

Graffiti costs Christchurch more than $1 million a year, and residents are being urged to take ownership of the problem.

Last year, Christchurch City Council spent $800,000 on contractors hired to remove graffiti around the city on council-owned assets and property. This includes street frontage fences and footpaths.

Join the volunteers helping to paint-out graffiti.

On top of this cost, the Council’s Graffiti Programme has a team of about 1000 volunteers that it supplies with paint – which is often donated - and other materials to paint over graffiti around the city.

The programme also organises for community groups, such as the Girl Guides, to paint murals on walls that might otherwise become a target for taggers. Since the Graffiti Programme started in 2008 it has supplied enough paint to cover 33 football pitches.

Val Merryweather, Team Leader of the Council’s Graffiti Programme, said tackling graffiti around the city was a huge expense. “When you add up the cost of contractors, materials and staff hours, and prosecutions taken against taggers, the total cost would come to well over a million dollars a year.”

She said the Council was happy to supply paint (in limited colours) and materials to residents and businesses who had been targeted by vandals so they could tackle the problem themselves.

“The whole strategy behind this is for people to take ownership of their own graffiti. Along with the Neighbourhood Policing Team, I've visited 250 businesses in Phillipstown to let them know they can ask us for recycled paint to remove graffiti from their buildings. The most important thing is to get rid of it as quickly as possible. Otherwise other taggers will see it and there’s a snowball effect.”

Each month the Council receives up to 600 reports of graffiti through the popular free App ‘Snap, Send, Solve’ which allows residents to report issues using their mobile phone. Ms Merryweather said this helped the Council identify and remove tags quickly.

“If the public doesn’t report it, then we don’t know about it. If we can get more residents on board with reporting and removing graffiti, then we can really achieve our goal of reducing the impact graffiti vandalism has on the city, and save rate payers’ money.”

Since the Council launched its “Off the Wall” programme in 2008, where volunteers are given resources to report and remove graffiti, the number of tags spotted around the city has fallen.

Results from the annual graffiti scan carried out by the Council’s Graffiti Programme earlier this year, showed a 48 per cent decrease in tagging and other graffiti from 2015.

But Ms Merryweather said more work was needed and there were many ways people could play their part in keeping Christchurch graffiti-free.

How can you help?

1. Become a volunteer: Christchurch City Council’s Graffiti Programme runs several initiatives including an “Off the Wall” programme where volunteers are given resources to report and/or remove graffiti. Register by emailing offthewall@ccc.govt.nz or phone (03) 941 8999.

2. Report graffiti vandalism: Phone: (03) 941 8999, Email: info@ccc.govt.nz, Website: ccc.govt.nz or use the free App: Snap, Send, Solve which allows you to report incidents directly to the Christchurch City Council. Available on Apple App Store or Androids Google Play.

3. Ask for free graffiti removal: Council contractors will remove graffiti on private property that borders street frontages, walls and fences. If you want to take responsibility for your own fences let Council know and it will provide the paint (in limited colours) and equipment.

4. Call the police: If you see graffiti vandalism in action call the police on 111.

5. Stay informed: Let the Council know you are helping tackle graffiti by emailing to receive a twice yearly newsletter that includes statistics on graffiti vandalism and information about community events. For further information, education programmes or a presentation from the Graffiti Programme please contact the team on (03) 941 8999 or graffitiprogramme@ccc.govt.nz