Dunedin man arrested in possession of 820 kilos of stolen pounamu

Dunedin Police have arrested and charged a man following the execution of a search warrant in relation to stolen pounamu.

On Monday 1 December, police executed a search warrant in Dunedin and located multiple samples of stolen pounamu that had been cut and were for sale.

In total, 820 kilograms of pounamu were seized by Police.

A 29-year-old man was arrested for obstruction and has appeared in the Dunedin District Court.

He is now released on bail.

Charges in relation to the pounamu are being considered.

Pounamu is the property of Ngāi Tahu by virtue of the Pounamu (Ngāi Tahu) Vesting Act 1997.

Public fossicking for pounamu is only allowed on West Coast beaches and the size of pounamu allowed to be taken is limited to something you can carry in one hand.

Rivers are able to be fossicked by Ngāi Tahu whānau members, but only with a collection permit granted by the kaitiaki (guardian) rūnanga, in this case Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio, being the kaitiaki of South Westland.

Detective Sergeant Jesse Thomson of Dunedin says Police take pride in working alongside West Coast hapū, and the theft of pounamu is treated with the same value and mindset that would be taken with other stolen property.

Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio chairman Paul Madgwick says the local hapu Ngāti Māhaki are grateful for the swift response of Police for what has been an ongoing problem with theft of their taonga.

"Ngāi Tahu has had the sale and supply of pounamu, online and within the community, brought to their attention.

A complaint to police in this case resulted in the current inquiry being conducted in Dunedin.” Madgwick says.

“This complaint was made due to the person brazenly parading our stolen pounamu as if they have a right to help themselves to it – they don’t, and we are working closely with the Police to prevent further theft of our taonga.”

Madgwick says all pounamu is easily identifiable, like DNA, and can be traced back to particular catchments.

Some of the stolen stone has been hacked and quarried from some of these remote catchments and has been illegally sold to carvers around New Zealand.

Carvers who now find themselves in possession of stolen pounamu should first question the provenance of the stone.

The rule is simple: if it is not authenticated by Ngāi Tahu Pounamu, it may be stolen.

Pounamu is only found in parts of Te Wai Pounamu (South Island), and the vast majority of that is on Te Tai Poutini, the West Coast, largely in the Arahura and Haast districts.

"Anyone who is unsure of the rules around pounamu gathering, or has pounamu in their possession and is unclear about ownership, whether they're the general public or have Ngāi Tahu whakapapa, is urged to reach out to the local Rūnanga or Ngāi Tahu Pounamu to understand what is permissible."

Detective Sergeant Thomson says, "This seizure of Pounamu is a great result by our team who acted quickly to prevent the on supply of the stolen pounamu.”

"We want to send a clear message that Police will not tolerate this type of offending and will hold anyone who engages in this behaviour to account."

If you witness or suspect any illegal procurement of pounamu, please call 111 if it is happening now, or make a report through 105 either online or over the phone, if it is after the fact.