KEY POINTS:
Life goes on as normal in Manurewa's Mahia Rd, with one exception - the noticeable lack of graffiti.
The road where Bruce Emery and his family still live, and where the initial confrontation with 15-year-old Pihema Cameron took place on January 27, is tag-free.
On a couple of electricity transformers, there is the odd scrawl. But the fences of the people who live in the quiet suburb are unmarked.
Neighbours say the lack of tagging has been a marked change since Emery fatally stabbed Pihema Cameron, who was tagging with a friend.
Leitioa Peapea, who lives across the road from the Emerys, told the Weekend Herald taggers had largely stayed away. "There's hardly any tagging since it happened, and it's been really quiet."
She said Emery would often look out for their house while the family was away and he was good to them. "I still talk to him, he's a good person."
Other neighbours agreed quiet and calm had prevailed since the incident.
A few doors up from the Emerys, a resident said he thought there was still the odd tag, but it didn't worry him.
"It's not great but it's just a bit of paint, man. Just paint over it. It's not a big deal."
At the Emery house, it looks as if Mahia Covers and Upholstery is still doing good business. A sign on the fence advertises spa and sun covers, sails and shelters.
A faded sign warns of a dog on the property, and an old black labrador pads around the deck.
And the garage door Emery was so determined to protect is tag-free.
