Two of the pounamu pieces which were pulled from a Hawke's Bay auction following public criticism. Photo / Facebook
Two of the pounamu pieces which were pulled from a Hawke's Bay auction following public criticism. Photo / Facebook
Several lost and stolen pounamu pieces set to go under the hammer at a Hawke's Bay auction house have been returned to police after members of the public queried the sale.
Pounamu, or greenstone, is a highly valued stone used in carvings of necklaces or pendants which are seen bymany Māori to hold a spiritual connection to its wearer.
There are many beliefs about pounamu - some consider it improper to buy pounamu for oneself, while others consider it a bad sign if one is lost or broken.
Hawke's Bay Today understands the pounamu were being sold as part of a police auction. They had been unclaimed after being recovered as lost or stolen items.
Quentin De Groot, of Kauri House Auctions in Hastings which listed the 10 pounamu pieces, said they had been removed from the week's auction and would be returned to the police after public criticism of the sale.
From significant birthdays and milestones to anniversaries, he said pounamu were "handed out for a whole host of reasons".
"That's just part of what pounamu can and does mean. It's given as a personal acknowledgement."
Henare O'Keefe likened the selling of pounamu to "selling your soul". Photo / File
Some were also handed down through generations and carried extra significance, O'Keefe said.
"It is a spiritual thing. There's a wairua side to it."
However, Aaron Greaves, a pounamu carver with more than 20 years' experience said he didn't think it was "inappropriate" to sell the pounamu items.
The Hastings-born and based carver, whose whakapapa goes back to Ngati Raukawa and has connections to Ngati Toa, said it was something the carving community had discussed often in recent years.
"We've discussed a lot of things over the years and whether pounamu shouldn't be bought for oneself and that is not found anywhere in historic tradition. That's a newish take on things.
"Lots of the stuff that comes down to what people believe - it's about personal tikanga."
He said people would often comment on posts inquiring about repairs, that if a necklace had broken it was "some bad raruraru [trouble] and you need to go put it under the moon and throw it in the river".
"If you go back a couple hundred years ago if something broke and you could still use it, you wouldn't throw it away - especially pounamu."
Pounamu or greenstone, is a highly valued stone used in carvings which many Māori feel hold a spiritual connection. Photo / Facebook
The police had clearly waited the 12 months for people to come forward and claim it without any luck, Greaves said.
"Better than throwing them in a river or the sea, or leaving them in a box at the police station, they can go and find life elsewhere around someone else's neck."
A police spokesperson said it was not uncommon for pounamu to be brought to its attention as lost or stolen items, given its value.
"Police would certainly want to remind people of the obligations around retrieving and selling pounamu, and its cultural significance."
Asked why it was given for auction, or what would happen to the pounamu now, police did not provide further comment.
