Council rule enforcers worried about waratahs are behind at least some removals of provocative Tauranga election signs criticising coalition parties.
The signs read: “I’d rather crap in my hands and clap than have three more years of these idiots wrecking our country”, with arrows pointing towards nearby National, Act and New Zealand First hoardings.
Manu Caddie, who created the signs, told the Bay of Plenty Times on Friday that six of the 14 signs he and three friends erected last Tuesday evening had disappeared by Thursday morning.
Sites included Oropi Rd, Totara St, Cameron Rd and Devonport Rd.
He replaced some signs on Thursday, but more disappeared the next morning. Three more went missing at the weekend and had been replaced.
He said his group, which he said did not represent any political party or established political group, had spent about $1000 on the signs so far and faced ongoing replacement costs.
Caddie said the idea stemmed from his frustration with election hoardings and the coalition Government’s policies.
“I feel a little frustrated at election time, sort of being bombarded with signs that I feel insult the intelligence of voters by having name recognition as the thing that influences how we vote.”
He decided to create his own signs rather than vandalise those of politicians he disagreed with.
Police laid charges last month against a different man over alleged election sign vandalism in Tauranga.
“I thought doing something creative and constructive might be a better approach and get people talking,” Caddie said.
Caddie said his signs appeared deliberately targeted, with other election hoardings nearby left untouched.
Some signs were stripped from their frames, while another was stolen with its frame.
He said he had checked the rules with the Electoral Commission to ensure the signs met election advertising requirements, including displaying required promoter details.
The signs were placed in public locations and did not require permission from private property owners.
Caddie said he was frustrated the signs had been removed and suspected “free-speech suppressors” who could not handle it when it was aimed at them.
“I don’t know who took them, but if they were supporters of the parties criticised, the irony is pretty stark – parties champion free speech, yet some of their supporters apparently can’t tolerate it when free speech is directed at their own side.”
Caddie said he received 99% positive feedback after posting about the signs online.
He said people from around the country offered donations to help fund replacements, and others expressed interest in putting up similar signs in their area.
Caddie said he reported the missing signs to police and would continue replacing them, and consider setting up a trail camera or keeping watch overnight to identify who was taking them.
Western Bay of Plenty Police area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton said police received a report of the alleged theft of signs in Greerton about 9.55pm on Friday.
He said the matter was at the case assessment stage.
The Bay of Plenty Times contacted Tauranga City Council and the three political parties targeted by the signs for comment on Friday.
Council regulation monitoring team leader Stuart Goodman said today that the council removed several signs under the Local Government Act.
He said the waratahs used to erect them posed “a risk to underground utilities and road users”.
The council had received complaints about the signs but confirmed they complied with its Election Sign Policy 2026.
Goodman said the council would contact the sign owner to discuss the risks and how to address them.
Caddie called the council’s explanation “ridiculous” and claimed that other signs used stakes.
He planned to contact the council to request the signs be reinstated and seek compensation for any that had been destroyed.
He said he believed others could also be responsible for removing some of the signs where the waratahs were left behind.
New Zealand First Mt Maunganui candidate Tracey Coxhead said the party supported freedom of speech, but believed it should be exercised respectfully.
“Everyone is entitled to voice their opinion, but when it is offensive and deliberately directed at a particular person, or party and is physically interfering with our message, we have the right to remove it,” Coxhead said.
“We too have a right to free speech.”
National and Act party representatives were also approached.
Zoe Blake is a multimedia journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post.