A thief who unbolted a sculpture from its stone base and rode off with it under one arm on a bike has prompted a police appeal and a "no questions asked" return plea from a Whangārei art gallery.
The wooden work, Tiori Toru, was taken from the outdoor sculpture exhibition at the Hundertwasser Art Centre in the early hours of August 24, with police saying the theft happened at around 3.15am.
Hundertwasser Art Centre director Joost de Bruin told 1News the sculpture had been bolted to a rock and that whoever took it had come prepared.
"It does look to us like this was not a spur of the moment thing, but it was a bit more carefully prepared than that," he said. "This was somebody who was able to do that remarkably skilfully in a short amount of time."
Senior Sergeant Charmaine Smith said the offender left the scene on a bike and the sculpture had not yet been located.
"While enquiries are ongoing, we are asking for the public's help in identifying the person responsible for the theft," she said.
"Police want to ensure the sculpture is safely returned to its rightful spot."
Tiori Toru, which means three voices, was installed in early August and stood about 1.4m by 600mm. Made from pōhutukawa wood with glass inlays, it represented three bird species — kererū, tūī, and pīwakawaka — and its name was given by a representative of the local hapū, who also blessed it.
De Bruin said the piece had drawn strong support before it vanished.
"It was a beautiful sculpture," he said.
"If you would go past it, the lights would shine through the glass, which would give you all these different colours of the glass, and we had really positive feedback from the community on the artwork."
The artist, Karin de Beer, was sad, disappointed and frustrated by the theft, he said.
"She did say it's kind of like a backhanded compliment when your work is stolen," he added, saying she felt most keenly that the opportunity to share it with locals, other New Zealanders and overseas visitors was now gone.
The centre has asked for the sculpture's return, with no questions asked.
"There'll be no questions asked and we'll be very happy to receive it back," de Bruin said.
Police are urging anyone who saw suspicious activity near the Whangārei Town Basin in the early hours of August 24 to make contact on 105, quoting file number 260824/0597. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
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