Brazen thief steals library wood carving1 min read

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A brazen thief stole a 1.5 metre taiaha (a long-handled wooden Māori weapon) in broad daylight from the Onehunga library foyer in January. Even though a security guard was in attendance, the thief waited for the guard to patrol the rest of the building; when he came back, the taiaha had disappeared. It was taken on Wednesday 18th Jan, and library staff have reported it to the police but they haven’t heard anything back so far.

The carving was on display as part of the library’s Lunar New Year art exhibition. Cindy Guo, programme specialist at Onehunga & Oranga Community Hub, says, ”Some Chinese artists did a series of Māori-themed paintings, so I invited Calvin Devine to display his woodcarving works along with the paintings. It’s really sad the taiaha was taken in the broad daylight when there were so many public members around enjoy the art pieces.”

If you know anything about the whereabouts of this carving, please contact Cindy on 027 203 0887 or Auckland Police on 105.