Latest news with #greenstone
RNZ News
5 days ago
- RNZ News
Police return hundreds of stolen pounamu pieces to local hapū in West Coast
Police recover 365 pieces of pounamu, West Coast. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police Hundreds of pieces of stolen pounamu from a remote West Coast river will be returned to the local hapū in what Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio describes as a small win against the greenstone black market. Franz Josef police recovered the 365 stolen pounamu pieces and boulders after tracking down fossickers heading upstream in a vehicle last Wednesday. Police had not laid any charges after a tip-off from the public led them to the remote Jackson River in South Westland last week, but were instead seeking an "alternative resolution" with two men in their 30s. Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio chief executive Kara Edwards said she was pleased police were taking pounamu theft seriously. "We're really thrilled to be working with the police in partnership and they did a fantastic job. Of course, we're not thrilled about the amount of pounamu that was taken," she said. Edwards said stolen pounamu was a big problem and the number of thefts seemed to be increasing. "The level of pounamu that we are seeing turn up in relation to other offences is is becoming more and more commonplace. For instance, the police might turn up to talk to somebody about a burglary or another offence and and they notice that there's a little pile of pounamu over in the corner of the house," she said. Last year, West Coast hapū Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae told RNZ stolen pounamu ranked as the commodity second most traded for drugs, after cash. Since1997, Ngāi Tahu, the South Island's largest iwi, was the sole kaitiaki or legal guardian of pounamu. Members of the public could take small quantities of pounamu from the beaches of Te Tai o Poutini - the West Coast of the South Island - but it was illegal to collect greenstone from rivers or inland areas without Ngāi Tahu's permission. Ngāi Tahu Pounamu manager Chantal Tumahai said the informal cash pounamu market remained, even though iwi encouraged people to be part of an authentication scheme that let registered carvers buy ethically-sourced stone. Under current regulations, the public may fossick for pounamu only on beaches. Photo: Supplied / NZ Police She said pieces were often exchanged for cash without Ngāi Tahu's permission and with little information about their origin. "Our main concern is the amount on Trade Me and other online platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Etsy. There are quite a number of platforms where they're selling pounamu that's potentially illegally taken from our rivers," she said. At Bonz 'n' Stonz in Hokitika, master carver Steve Gwaliasi said about half of the pounamu he used came from people walking through the door each morning with stones to sell. He said he turned sellers down when he suspected stone had been taken unlawfully, but it was not always easy to determine. "Usually there's a story, 'it's been passed down from generation to generation'," he said. "It's really hard for us, especially the jade industry in Hokitika, to get a reliable source." Gwaliasi said he had been caught out a few times buying pounamu that turned out to be stolen and had handed it to police, leaving him hundreds of dollars out of pocket. He wanted Ngāi Tahu to impose stricter controls on pounamu sales or become the sole legal seller. Edwards said fossicked pounamu sales were a legal grey area and Gwaliasi's idea was worthy of wānanga or deliberation "What we're trying to do is and encourage an industry that's built authenticity and authentic stone. Non- Ngāi Tahu people can participate in that as well by becoming authenticated, working with Ngāi Tahu pounamu," she said. Pounamu-buyers were encouraged to check for Ngāi Tahu-authenticated sellers and products, while anyone unsure of the rules for collecting greenstone should get in touch with the iwi.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- RNZ News
Hundreds of stolen pounamu returned to West Coast Hapu
crime te ao Maori 15 minutes ago More than 360 pieces of stolen pounamu will be returned to West Coast hapu, in what has been described as a small win against the greenstone black market. Police haven't laid any charges after a tip-off from the public led them the remote Jackson River in South Westland, and are instead seeking what they call an alternative resolution with two men in their 30s. Katie Todd reports.
