April 23, 2015
Taonga stolen in Pakipaki burglary
Hawke’s Bay Police are urging thieves to return a collection of taonga Maori taken during a burglary near Hastings last Friday.
The 14 items stolen from the Pakipaki house include several pounamu mere, a whale bone patu and a ceremonial adze with a pounamu blade.
The mere are all about 30cm long by 10cm wide.
The artefacts are registered with the National Museum Te Papa as taonga and are believed to date back to the 1800s.
Detective Sergeant Craig Vining says the thieves would have been aware of their immense cultural as well as monetary value.
He says they should be returned so they can be cared for by their proper guardians and remain in their turangawaewae.
Police want to speak to the owner/drivers of three different vans seen in the Pakipaki area around the time of the burglary, as well as a forest green-coloured sedan.
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