Graffiti & tagging

Removing graffiti and tagging in Porirua City costs us – and you, as ratepayers – more than $240,000 every year. We work closely with residents to discourage and prevent graffiti and tagging.

If you see graffiti or tagging in a public place, please inform the Police and let us know so we can get rid of it. We aim to remove graffiti on Council property within 48 hours.

Report graffiti

There are a number of ways to report graffiti to us:

• phone us on (04) 237 5089
• log a service request below
• use Antenno (a free mobile app you can use to tell us about something that needs fixing or report something directly to us. Once you've downloaded the app, just go to the new 'Your reports' menu, and add a report to tell us about it). Read more about Antenno
  

Report graffiti - Log a service request through MyPorirua

We and the Police can’t reduce graffiti by ourselves. Graffiti is a community problem and needs your commitment and involvement to overcome. 

You can volunteer yourself, your business or community group to help reduce graffiti in public places. Find out how you can get involved by phoning our Graffiti Management Coordinator on (04) 237 5089.

It’s up to you to remove any graffiti from your own property, but you should report it to the Police and contact us for advice. A member of our graffiti team can visit and tell you about ways to remove the graffiti and prevent it happening again.

You can prevent graffiti on your property by:

• planting trees and shrubs for privacy.
  
• installing security lighting. 
  
• having textured rather than smooth surfaces and dark rather than light colours on walls or fences. 
  
• using special anti-graffiti  coatings in high-risk areas.
  
• having gravel, shells or pebbles where people walk.
  
• installing security fencing and gates that can’t be used for graffiti.
  
• removing or painting out as soon as possible.
  

If the person or people doing the tagging or graffiti is still at the scene or nearby, do not approach them. Phone the Police immediately on 111.

If the graffiti is on your property, sketch or photograph it before you remove it. This will help the Police investigation. 

The Adopt-a-Spot project is a way to do something practical to prevent graffiti in your neighbourhood. You can become a “graffiti guardian” and keep an eye on a place near where you live or pass each day, to report any graffiti or tagging activity. 

This is a great way to help reduce graffiti in your area, as well as providing an opportunity to meet your neighbours and get them involved. A number of small community groups have been formed to keep an area near their homes tidy and free from graffiti or tagging. 

To become a graffiti guardian:

• decide which street/s, park, walkway or shops you want to adopt
  
• phone (04) 237 5089 to speak to the Graffiti Management Coordinator

We’re working with the community and Police to stop graffiti and tagging on public and private property. We want to send a clear message that graffiti vandalism is not welcome in Porirua City.

In partnership with the community, we’ve developed a Graffiti Management Strategy to manage graffiti vandalism. The Strategy aims to create a graffiti-free city that contributes to an attractive, safe and proud community.  It has three broad objectives:

• preventing graffiti. 
  
• painting out graffiti rapidly.
  
• encouraging pride in our community to own and manage the problem.  
  

We work with local groups, schools, young people and residents to clean up areas of concern and create beautiful community murals. This work helps to reduce the cost to the city of cleaning up graffiti, and enhances public spaces.