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An eighteen-year-old faces a charge of wilful damage over the recent decapitation of the King George statue in Matakana.
Police say the youth has no prior convictions and owned up to the theft.
“After realising the stupidity of what he’d done, he attempted to return the head,” Sgt Mark Stallworthy said.
He has been referred to the Te Pae Oranga Iwi Community Panel in Henderson to determine a suitable outcome, which could include community service without a conviction.
The youth claimed the head came off easily, raising questions over how well it had been reattached after the last time it was taken.
Auckland Council has commissioned a stone conservator to repair the Matakana War Memorial and restore the head. The estimated cost of the work is around $15,000.
Council manager public art Hayley Wolters says Council is unable to provide a specific date for completion as this has not yet been decided with the stone conservator.
“However, we are aiming for within the next couple of months,” she says.
