KEY POINTS:
An instant way of dealing with graffiti washes vandals' scribblings off the wall as fast as they can scrawl them on.
And vandal-plagued businesses and local bodies throughout New Zealand are turning on the tap in an attempt to protect their premises from unsightly smears.
Hawkes Bay business Graffiti Security Systems developed the "wet-wall graffiti deterrent system", which uses infrared motion sensors to trigger high-pressure water nozzles and floodlights when a vandal approaches a wall.
One user is the Napier City Council, which has installed it to protect the walls of the city's Municipal Theatre.
GSS managing director Antony Bicknell said the system was a great deterrent to vandalism.
It had helped the theatre as well as many businesses hit by spray-paint vandalism.
"The vandals have given up on these businesses because of the system," he said.
"It has saved them a significant amount of money and also spared them the unsightly 'tagging' that has reached epidemic proportions."
Last year, Justice Minister Phil Goff outlined plans to deter offenders by giving police and councils more powers and imposing hefty fines.
Mr Bicknell said the real cost of graffiti on councils and businesses was much higher than just the financial cost of repairs as it also had a negative impact on society and the environment.
He has been testing and modifying the system, and started GSS with assistance from Hawke's Bay Inc.
Hawke's Bay Inc business development manager Jenny Brown helped GSS with advice on obtaining business growth funding through New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and in developing the business.
"We see GSS as an innovative business and also a business that has a positive impact on the community," Mrs Brown said.
"Graffiti is a real problem - and an expensive one at that - and this is a unique product that will be a deterrent in New Zealand and worldwide.
"Other businesses like GSS will benefit from being involved with Hawke's Bay Inc.
"The organisation has just completed a survey with more than 1000 businesses participating with the aim of assisting business growth and boosting the region's economy.
"There is a wealth of advice available for businesses, and it is through initiatives such as Business Edge that we can help companies just like GSS obtain the advice and information they require," Mrs Brown said.
GSS recently secured an active private investor to ensure the business could handle orders for its anti-graffiti system from throughout New Zealand.
"We have suppliers nationwide ready to keep up with demand for a product that will make an impact in deterring graffiti," Mr Bicknell said.
