Gaelene Bright was a keen part of Hokianga's vibrant art scene and well known and liked within the community. Photo / NZ Police
A Northland iwi has placed a rāhui on one of the region's most famous residents - Tāne Mahuta - after the discovery of a body believed to be Gaelene Bright.
Te Roroa announced late yesterday that the gates leading to the Tāne Mahuta boardwalk track in Waipoua Forest will be closed until Saturday.
Ambassadors from the Northland iwi will remain onsite for the duration of the rāhui put in place yesterday with support from the Department of Conservation.
"This decision is in response to the discovery of a tūpāpaku (deceased person) in the Waipoua Forest in the vicinity of Tāne Mahuta on Tuesday 17th May 2022," a statement from the iwi said.
The body is believed to be missing Hokianga mum, Gaelene Bright, last seen leaving a friend's house on May 1 in Waimamaku, around 20km from the forest.
A post-mortem examination is expected to take place today.
"This is a ritual prohibition to restrict the entry of the public into the Tāne Mahuta site to allow time for the ngahere to cleanse after the discovery of the deceased," the statement read.
"This decision is supported by Te Roroa tikanga to maintain manākitanga or the responsibility of care to our visitors to Waipoua Forest."
The rāhui was initiated with appropriate karakia by a Te Roroa kaumatua.
A 65-year-old man charged with Bright's murder was remanded in custody after appearing in the Hastings District Court yesterday.
The man, who has name suppression, is also charged with unlawfully possessing a .22 between May 1 and May 8. He is scheduled to appear in the High Court at Whangārei on June 9.
Bright has been missing since she was last spoken to at her home address early on May 1. Her vehicle was discovered in Te Kuiti - around 500km south of where she was last seen in Waimamaku.
Inquiries are still being made into the movements of Bright's white 2000 Holden Rodeo 4x4, registration YW7634, between Northland and Te Kuiti on May 3 and 4.
Yesterday Kaikohe-Hokianga community board member Alan Hessell described how the loss had rippled through the area.
"The community is feeling saddened by what has happened and also relieved that there has been an arrest."
Bright was well-liked, he said, evident in the huge amount of concern shared by locals over her disappearance.
"The community were really pleased with the New Zealand Police and how quickly they resolved the case," Hessell said.
John Wigglesworth, who volunteered at Kohukohu's Village Arts Gallery with Bright, said she was a lovely, cheerful person.
"She was really loved in the community and everyone's really concerned and shocked by what's happened," he said.
Bright was well-known in Kohukohu, where she was active in the town's vibrant arts scene, before moving to Waimamaku on the other side of Hokianga Harbour.
There she also played an active part in the town's cultural life and lent a hand at theatre productions as far away as Kerikeri on the opposite coast.
Bright was a key participant in Waimamaku's hugely popular annual Wild West Fest. She would dress up in cowboy gear and stop traffic entering the town in a mock highway robbery.
Donations collected from passing motorists were used to help fund health services in Hokianga.
The Advocate has reached out to Bright's family for comment and is yet to hear back. However, Bright's sister described the family as "devastated" after news a body had been located was announced by police.
It is understood a major search operation was involved in locating Bright's body.
Police, backed up by as many as 10 trained volunteers from Far North Search and Rescue, combed the bush around properties in Waimamaku as well as forest along State Highway 12.
A drone was also deployed in the search.
The volunteers were called in to assist police at 9am on Sunday and continued their search all day Monday.
Police are asking anyone who has seen the vehicle or has any information about it to call them on 105 quoting file number 220511/2799 or Operation Bright. Information can also be passed on anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.