'Star' of viral tyre heist video handcrafts gifts to say sorry

A "name and shame" video of a Mount Maunganui tyre shop owner confronting a thief has led to an unlikely resolution.

In May, Cooper's Tyres owner Ethan Bryant arrived at work to find a set of mag wheels, worth about $800, had been stolen overnight.

After receiving a tip-off on where the wheels might be, he tracked down the culprit and demanded the tyres back - capturing the entire encounter on film.

The viral video had reached over 700,000 views on Cooper Tyre's Facebook page and Bryant became an internet sensation, along with his unwitting co-star.

But now the wound has been healed after the man handcrafted two native wood coffee tables as koha to apologise.

Bryant said he had a lot of admiration for the man and believed anyone could change.

"If you poke and prod someone hard enough they will change. He owned up and he did the right thing.

"He just wanted to show he's sincerely sorry."

Bryant said the two went through a restorative justice mediation process which brought the victim and the perpetrator together to discuss the crime.

"We sat down and had a conversation about how it affected me."

He said the man had gone through a "hard time" following the video going viral and his relationships with his family and friends had suffered.

The tables are open for purchase.