Hawke’s Bay: Vandals target Ōmāhu Urupā damaging over 20 headstones

Police say between 20 to 25 headstones were vandalised at a Hawke’s Bay cemetery over the weekend.

A spokesperson said they received a report about the damage at the Ōmāhu Urupā in Fernhill on Sunday afternoon.

The damage was reported to have taken place on Saturday night.

Church of St John, Ōmāhu and urupā taken in October 2021 before Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Paul Taylor

After href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/cyclone-gabrielle/">Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, many burial sites at the urupā were destroyed, ranging from recent burials to those who passed away last century.

Remains, including things like a jawbone and a finger, were uplifted by water powerful enough to rip down the urupā’s concrete fence, and they were then strewn across the community.

The decision was made not to DNA test them and instead reinter them together in a special memorial at the entrance of the urupā in July 2023.

In January 2025 an unmarked urn thought to have been swept into a Hawke’s Bay orchard by Cyclone Gabrielle was found almost two years on by a nearby orchardist.

The urn was given to Reverend Zhane Tiopira Tāhau, who was trying to find the whānau, though he was not certain it was from the urupā.