A new charitable initiative has been launched to reduce the number of racist, hate-related and extremist tattoos worn in New Zealand society.
Research suggests one in five adult New Zealanders, around 800,000 people, has at least one tattoo. Industry experts say around a tenth of those are seeking to have them removed and approximately 800 of these will be classified as promoting racism or hate.
The new ‘Chance for Change’ programme will offer Kiwis with tattoos featuring racist symbols, images, hate-related words and slogans or extremist ideologies free removal.
Experts have said the removal of offensive tattoos can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars and could be a barrier to progression in life, however, the new charitable initiative offers a pathway for participants to rid themselves of the last vestige of an idealogy they no longer identify with.
Kiwis wanting to apply for the free removal will go through a review process, which could include discussions with probationary officers, to ensure they have genuinely changed their attitude.
It is hoped the programme will be able to support dozens of Kiwis who have made a clear change in their life, however, find they are still being constantly judged and missing employment opportunities.
Mike Anderson, CEO of Think Again Laser Clinic NZ and founder of ‘Chance for Change,’ said the research suggests around 80,000 New Zealanders have a tattoo they want to be removed, and around one percent of these will be ‘hate tattoos’.
Anderson said they launched the initiative after treating a man who had been radicalised by Al-Qaeda while in prison on an unrelated charge.
“The programme was first launched in Australia and since its inception, we have removed a number of offensive tattoos including anti-women, white supremacy and other racial-based slogans,” said Anderson.
“I came up with the idea for the programme when removing some of these hardcore tattoos for clients. I found the process quite confronting. Many of my clients had chosen these designs as young men and now found themselves living with something that they no longer identified with decades later. They said they were often judged as if this was their current belief system. I also realised that there must be many others who were living with similar tattoos but could potentially not afford to have them removed, so I started ‘Chance for Change’.”
Anderson added that the company has begun a multi-million dollar launch of specialist tattoo removal clinics in main centres around New Zealand over the next two years, which will support the expansion of the programme and improve access to other forms of tattoo removal for thousands of people.
“Tattoo removal can be a very emotional decision for most of the people we see as the emotional connection to when they first got the tattoo. It may be related to matching tattoos with a best friend, an ex-partner’s name or commemoration of someone that has passed away, it can bring back intense memories.”
The cost of tattoo removal starts at under $100 for a small tattoo and could increase to $50,000 to $100,000 for full-body artwork removal. Anderson shared that hundreds of New Zealanders have travelled to the charitable clinic, and clients from as far away as Dubai and Singapore, and believe that New Zealand could also become a destination for cosmetic procedures for overseas visitors.
“There are a number of variables which impact the ability to remove a tattoo, and it may take between five to 10 treatments over two to three years depending on the age of the tattoo, how deep the ink has penetrated into the skin, the colours used in the design – as well a wide range of other variables,” he said
Anderson noted that he has seen the treatment of 85,000 people wanting their tattoo art removed in the Australian clinic, and that the demand is growing by 50 percent every year.
“The age range of customers can vary from 18 to people in even their 80s or 90s but the most common customer would be a female in their 30s who has one to three tattoos and has just decided they aren’t for them any more,” acknowledged Anderson.
“We will often see these designs on their wrist, foot, ankle or hip. Usually, it is something like a butterfly or some text that may have resonated with them a decade earlier but is now no longer part of how they see themselves.”
