Opinion: Precious cap needs to be returned

Kahu Tahuriorangi with the cap his parents are pleading to have returned. Photo / Supplied

One of the first things people are taught as children is to not take things that don't belong to them.

Unfortunately it's not a lesson everyone takes on board.

On Friday I reached out to the Tahuriorangi family who agreed to talk about the theft of a precious cap.

The cap was precious because it belonged to their teenage son Kahu who lost his battle with cancer late last year.

Anthony and Marama Tahuriorangi were visiting Rotorua - their hometown - where they planned to have the cap bronzed, to be included on Kahu's headstone.

But last Tuesday evening their car was broken into and the cap, sitting on the dashboard, was taken.

Mr Tahuriorangi was gracious, kind and understanding on the phone, expressing his only desire to have the cap returned.

He said not only did the theft hurt, but it made him question what kind of place his hometown had become.

That struck me, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

Crime is a problem in every city, but it always hits harder when you see it happening in a place that matters to you.

Theft is an innately invasive and distressing crime because it robs another person of the things they care about and have worked hard for.

The baseball cap is not valuable to the thieves, but it is invaluable to Mr and Mrs Tahuriorangi.

While the online response to the plea to have it returned has been huge, it doesn't cover up the fact the theft happened in the first place.

A family left our city distraught because of the actions of another human being.

Sadly they are not the first ones to do so and probably won't be the last.

If you know where the cap is, contact the police so it can be returned to the Tahuriorangi family.

It is not impossible to change and it is never too late to do the right thing.