Town battling joyriders at domain
Vandalism in a small Southland town has prompted fresh measures to keep perpetrators out.
Tūātapere Domain is set for a new gate in the hope it will stop people tearing up the local field.
It follows the installation of CCTV cameras at the site last year in a trial to reduce wilful damage and boost security for the nearby pump station.
With several incidents occurring after the cameras’ installation, the Southland District Council determined that they had not eliminated the problem.
This included an incident in June 2023 where the grounds were ripped up by a vehicle which also crashed into a storage building, causing significant damage.
When police asked to review footage from the reported incident, the council could not pull identifying features because of camera quality, security lighting and poor weather.
The cameras had also proven impractical due to the fact council staff had to travel to the domain to obtain footage, and only
once the privacy officer had approved a request by police.
Tūātapere Te Waewae Community Board chairperson Anne Horrell said police expressed a preference for a gate which they would likely take responsibility for managing.
“We’re a bit sad about it, because we like to think that our domain is accessible to all people,” Horrell said.
“Sadly, when you get to the winter and you have a car ripping up the oval, they can do an incredible amount of damage, because it’s damaged anyway.”
Horrell said the vandalism so far had “been enough that it’s been annoying”, adding that the domain was taken care of by volunteers.
Although the $1000 camera trial had been ineffective in preventing damage to the domain, it would remain in place.
A possible memorandum of understanding between police and the district council would also be discussed to allow direct access to footage, Horrell said.
Council staff would now arrange quotes for the new gate.