I love Nelson because… “of the views”, “it’s cool”, “I just love it” and “it is not Auckland”.
Those were some of the responses to the “I love Nelson…” interactive board at Lions Playground behind Tahuna beach.
But it wasn’t all good.
Random swear words, genitalia and other offensive drawings have shown some Nelsonians also love to vandalise, which has seen it removed less than three months after it was erected.
The interactive blackboard gave passersby the chance to finish off the sentence ‘I love Nelson because…’ by writing what was intended to be positive answers in chalk obtained from Mr Whippy. However, the result was sometimes the opposite, and one of the region’s most popular summer destinations was fronted with a sign covered in offensive language until it was rubbed out by offended members of the public.
Last week it, and the art work on the other side which was done by school students, was removed after what Nelson City Council called a “trial basis”.
“Unfortunately the ‘I love Nelson’ blackboard was repeatedly vandalised with graffiti including offensive messages and has now been temporarily removed,” says NCC’s communications manager Angela Ricker. “These boards rely on self monitoring by the public who rub out any unpleasant things. The blackboard had been attacked with paint and this can happen in areas where the public is not present during evenings.”
Nelson City Council would not reveal what words they found offensive, citing that “due to the offensive nature of the material we will not be repeating it”.
“It was only a minority [though]. Families were enjoying it.”
The Urban Art Board project cost $835 and the material was designed to be recycled.
The boards are currently in storage.
