THE ARCHIVE BY COUNTRY
Published reports from our archive, newest first.
A country may refer to the theft, recovery, return or legal proceedings. A case can be linked to more than one country.
9 reports
Tiori Toru, a wooden sculpture with glass inlays by Karin de Beer, was unbolted from its base at the Hundertwasser Art Centre around 3:15 a.m. on 24 August. The offender left on a bicycle carrying the work under one arm. Northland Police sought information; the sculpture remained missing at the article's publication on 6 September.
Police announced an arrest in the theft investigation. Investigators said the bronze sculpture had been destroyed and much of it sold as scrap.
Two carved wooden wall panels from Te Whare o Heretaunga were repatriated to Aotearoa through the Tamatea Pōkai Whenua Trust after a farewell at the South Australian Museum. The two pou had arrived in Adelaide in 1891 and belong to a dispersed group of about 60 carvings commissioned for a Māori meeting house.
The original Harawene statue with fundraising organiser Fiona Cairns before its theft. Photo: Kelvin Teixeira / Rotorua Daily Post. Image source ↗
The bronze memorial to Harawene, a stray dog cherished by Rotorua residents, was stolen from Te Ngae Road over Easter 2024. 1News reported that a plaque and two paws remained. A private reward was subsequently advertised in April; its current validity is unconfirmed.
Police recovered the sculpture taken from Government Gardens in February 2023 and returned it to the council. It was damaged. A man was charged with theft, with proceedings unresolved at publication.
New Zealand Police confirmed the return of the Chief and Chieftainess Ngatai-Raure portraits stolen in April 2017. Investigations continued.
C.F. Goldie, Sleep 'tis a Gentle Thing, in the police recovery announcement. Credit: New Zealand Police. Image source ↗
New Zealand Police recovered C.F. Goldie’s Sleep 'tis a Gentle Thing after it was stolen with art and antiques from a Hamilton East home between 27 December 2020 and 3 January 2021. Police said the painting appeared undamaged but still required a thorough examination. Its owners had been informed; the announcement did not confirm physical return.
A staff member found the bronze gnome outside a Salvation Army shop in Glen Eden and notified police. New Zealand Police said the work had been taken from outside Gow Langsford Gallery on Christmas Day 2018. The police photograph shows the recovered sculpture.
Gottfried Lindauer, Chief Ngatai-Raure, 1884. New Zealand Police appeal image. Image source ↗
New Zealand Police reported that Chieftainess Ngatai – Raure and Chief Ngatai-Raure, both painted in 1884, were stolen in a vehicle ram raid at the International Art Centre in Parnell at 4am on 1 April 2017. This is the original theft report; the December 2022 return is recorded separately.
