Stolen Northland carving found damaged in forest

A carved ancestral figure stolen from a Northland beach at the weekend has been found.

The carving was mounted on a pouwhenua (marker pole) at Ninety Mile Beach near Waipapakauri Forest last month to signify tribal guardianship of the area.

The chairwoman of Te Runanga o Te Rawara, Gloria Herbert, said last night that the carving had been found in Te Aupouri Forest. It was damaged but not beyond repair.