SPASIFIKmag.com intern MELE TU’UHOLOAKI from MIT is back on another Street Beat, this time asking our young people what should be done about taggers and the high youth crime rates in south Auckland. She asked the following questions.
1) How do you stop taggers and what should be done about them once they get caught?
2) Why are Youth crime rates so high in south Auckland? 
Name Lisa Aiono
Age 17
Gender Female
Study Cut Above Academy
Ethnicity Samoan/Maori
Hometown Manukau
1) “Give them walls to tag on to stop them from tagging on other places. Once they get caught do community service.”
2) “There’s too much alcohol and drugs in South Auckland.” 
Name Emma Grey
Age 16
Gender Female
Study Cut Above Academy
Ethnicity Maori (Tainui)
Hometown Port Waikato
1) “To stop taggers there should be more security around areas at night time. Then taggers should do community service.”
2) “Because there are too many young people that aren’t going to school.” 
Name Elisabeth Erihe
Age 15
Gender Botany College
Study Botany Downs
Ethnicity Maori (Ngati Kahu)
Hometown Botany Downs
1) “You can stop taggers by not selling spray cans to under 21 year olds. When they do get caught send them with toothbrushes and meths to clean up tags.”
2) “Because young people follow media and wannabe gangs and want to be ghetto. They want to be wealthy by having heaps of gears. They’re like that because they have no social life.” 
Name Lezley Wilson
Age 15
Gender Female
Study Botany College
Ethnicity Maori (Ngati Porou)
Hometown Botany Downs
1) “They should light areas like alley ways. Put real cameras around that look fake, to catch taggers. Taggers that are in school should get detention and wash all the tags off. For other taggers they should have longer community service depending on how many times they tag.”
2) “Some don’t like to be alone. They like to be in big crowds and in gangs because they feel insecure and don’t want to get hurt. They want to get fame and fortune.” 
Name Sapphire Elise
Age 23
Gender Female
Study University of Auckland-Health Science.
Ethnicity Samoan (Matautu)
Hometown Manurewa
1) “Maybe giving them a place to tag. Having their own wall in different areas. They should do community service and clean up tags themselves where they tagged on and even clean up other tags.”
2) “They’re probably trying to be the same as the US. Because of influences from other societies they don’t have anything else to do. There’s a lot of peer pressure.” 
Name Illaisaane Kololo
Age 17
Gender Female
Study Crown Institute
Ethnicity Tongan (Vaitongo)
Hometown Otara
1) “I don’t know how you can stop taggers but I do think it’s wrong. Sending taggers straight to jail should be good.”
2) “There are too many gangs and gangsters.” 
Name Ruth Kerisone
Age 18
Gender Female
Study Crown Institute
Ethnicity Samoan (Matautu-Uta)
Hometown Otara
1) “There should be night guards because cops are useless these days. Taggers should go to a disciplinary school and a boot camp on their first warning.”
2) “I don’t blame parents. Youth watch too much T.V and they get influenced from movies and programmes from the US. Youth hang out with the wrong crowd sometimes.”
