Graffiti ‘makes town look terrible’
On October 3, the Chronicle reported on a spate of tagging in Waharoa, and in particular the town hall.
Waharoa’s town hall was sold into private ownership by the Matamata-Piako District Council more than 15 years ago.
It is no longer available for the community to use and has become a target for taggers.
When the Chronicle contacted the owners they declined to comment.
We asked residents on Facebook what they would like to see happen to the hall. These were the responses: hall, that would look really nice.
– The hall is privately owned ... so really it is up to the owners to do something about the repainting. The community has not had use of the hall or been allowed use of the hall for more than 15 years.
– I think if put back into the
it was community’s hands it won’t be looking like that.
Matamata Chronicle – Do you think the hall would be used by the community if they were given the chance?
– Yes, the community has asked to use the hall but [ the owners] don’t let the community use it. It’s privately owned but it would be awe- some if the community could use it for a gym. A lot of the kids in the community are into sports and having a gym for them would be a positive thing for them.
– The community has always wanted to use the hall for various events over the years since it went into private hands. Even prior to the sale, the hall was always hired by the community for events and community group gatherings. The hall was actually the hub of Waharoa back in the days. We use to have a youth centre there, which had pool tables, table tennis, spacie machines and youth councillors. Plus, a whole lot of sporting events, marae fundraisers and community fundraisers. Then it was sold by the council.
– Give the youth a place were they can go to tag and express themselves, it’s been done in other towns.
– There’s a man at Walton who runs a boxing gym. He teaches youth and older people about boxing. He taught my boy how important it is to look after your body – no smoking, drinking or drugs keep your body healthy and fit. He’s a positive role model for youth . . . It was awesome for my son, he loved it and so did many other young people. If he was set up closer for the youth it would be great.
Some comments have been edited for spelling, grammar and length.