A 3m macrocarpa picnic table at a Department of Conservation campground in Wairarapa was installed for just two days before most of it was sawn off and stolen.
The table, put in at Bucks Road Campsite west of Greytown on Tuesday, was found on Thursday with around 2.4m missing – an amount of dressed wood worth an estimated $4000.
Department of Conservation principal ranger Briggs Pilkington said the theft was "hugely disappointing" and "disheartening" for staff and volunteers who worked on the table.
"We’ve been working with the community to improve the facilities at this site, and a significant funding donation has been put into the campground upgrade by the community.
"Then we go out to finish the table to find someone with a chainsaw and a bad attitude ruined it for everyone. This is why we can’t have nice things."
Pilkington said it was the latest in a string of thefts of materials from Wairarapa conservation sites, with corrugated iron stolen from a shelter at Western Lake Reserve earlier this year.
"It’s not even about the cost, really, it’s that they’ve stolen from the community," he said.
"This wasn’t a purchased table; the locals built that table themselves, and it wasn’t even finished. This was hard work, and means we have to really think about what we do in the future."
Police confirmed receiving a report of the theft.
"Anyone with any information should call 105 or go online to 105.police.govt.nz and quote reference number OR-2321290N," a police spokesperson said.
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