Whanganui District Council spent over $37,000 on vandalism this year. Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui District Council spent over $37,000 on vandalism this year. Photo / Bevan Conley
Fifty-five incidents of vandalism cost Whanganui ratepayers more than $37,000 in 2020 with everything from toilets and playground matting to "doggy doo" bins taken to by vandals across the district.
But the cost could grow once the repair bill following October's arson at Lorenzdale Park is added.
The figures,released by Whanganui District Council to the Chronicle under the Official Information Act, show that the most expensive incident of vandalism was the deliberate oil spill at Kowhai Park in November, costing the council $5,963.41.
Police on Wednesday said it had yet to apprehend the offender.
Kowhai Park was the city's hotspot for vandalism, with five incidents costing a combined $7,874.29.
Public toilets were the most vandalised piece of public property across 2020, with 15 different cases of vandalism outside or within toilets across the city.
The deliberate oil spill at Kowhai Park skate bowl cost the council almost $6000 to clean up. Photo / Ethan Griffiths
The council also spent more than $4000 bringing the public toilets at the Duncan Pavilion back up to standard after they were damaged.
Another incident resulted in the destruction of a "doggy doo" bin, costing the council $1765.
But despite the $37k total for damage across the year, the bill could grow significantly after the arson of a playground at Lorenzdale Park in October.
At the time, a council spokesperson said the expected cost to replace the playground was $90,000, which would push the total vandalism bill upwards of $120,000.
A council spokesperson confirmed to the Chronicle on Wednesday that the work is yet to be completed, with the final cost not yet added to the total.
Mayor Hamish McDouall said the constant cost of repairing and replacing damaged property is frustrating.
"It's extremely annoying and costly. We've had a pretty good run over the last few years, but obviously there are some idle hands," McDouall said.
"All of this vandalism is gratuitous and there's obviously a small number of people who don't have pride in this city. It affects everybody both in terms of our amenities but also ratepayer spend."
Despite the significant number of incidents, McDouall said Whanganui is seemingly doing well compared to the number of incidents elsewhere.
"I will say, you go to places like Auckland or even the Hawke's Bay, and there does seem to be more overt graffiti and the like there. Any vandalism whether it's tagging, breaking stuff or even damaging street trees is just not good enough."
