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Easter graffiti at NPDC toilets paints a costly picture for ratepayers

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PUBLISHED: 21 APR 2022
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Easter graffiti at NPDC toilets paints a costly picture for ratepayers

Vandals went on a graffiti spree in at least five public toilets run by NPDC over the Easter holiday weekend, leaving ratepayers with another clean-up tab on the growing vandalism bill.

While the clean-up bill is estimated at $500, it brings the total spent on graffiti to about $36k since the start of the financial year on 1 July 2021.

Another $45k has been spent fixing buildings and other infrastructure like picnic tables and seats that were damaged by vandals over the same period.

“We’ve have zero tolerance for all vandalism and we’ve taken this to the Police and already started the clean-up at the toilets, but it’ll take time and inconvenience people who are out and about during the school holidays. Vandals attack all of us by attacking our property. It’s disruptive, a bad look for our district and it hits ratepayers in the pocket,” said NPDC Property Manager Laura Keenan.

“We’re always looking at ways to vandal-proof our public facilities, such as metal cases around toilet paper and soap dispensers, but the only really effective way is for everyone to step up and show ownership of public property. If your home is tagged or a window smashed you’d be rightly outraged and calling the Police. If you know about these crimes, tell NPDC or the Police.”

FAST FACTS

  • The Easter weekend vandals hit female and unisex public toilets at:
    • Queen Street, Waitara.
    • Yandle Park, Urenui.
    • Matai Street (SH3), Inglewood.
    • Pukekura Park playground.
    • Ngāmotu Beach.
  • Vandals cost ratepayers more than $104k in the 2020-21 financial year and $126k the previous year.
  • Ratepayers are facing a vandalism bill of more than $80k for the first nine months of this financial year.
  • NPDC looks after 51 public toilets from Tongaporutu in the north to Ōkato in the south.
  • Most of the public toilets are in our 1600 hectares of parks and reserves or on our 82km of walkways.Other acts of vandalism over the last year:
    • Thieves endanger the public by removing bolts from stairs near the Coastal Walkway
    • Someone demolished two picnic tables in Urenui.
    • Vandals ripped out the newly-installed poles that hold up the chains during an upgrade of the Paritūtū track.
    • Graffiti on our iconic Te Rewa Rewa Bridge on the Coastal Walkway.
    • Destruction Repairing the Back Beach rubbish and recycling bins.
    • Smashing up the wooden rails along the roadside at Centennial Park.
    • Door wrenched off the public toilet at the Marfell Park playground.

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Page last updated: 10:20am Thu 21 April 2022

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