Vandalism investigated

Police have become involved after the statue of King George V, a focal point of the Matakana War Memorial, was vandalised late last month.

Custodian of the memorial, Adrienne Miller, says she awoke to find the king’s head on her property.

She finds the incident particularly upsetting as the individual involved would have had to climb on wreaths, left during the recent Anzac Day service, to get to the statue.

Miller took charge of looking after the memorial statue about 10 years ago after it had been subjected to decades of vandalism.

“I thought bringing back the mana and respect for it would see this vandalism end,” she says.

Previous repairs after vandalism cost Auckland Council $30,000, but Miller hopes it won’t be as expensive this time. There are now calls for it to be relocated outside the area to stop further vandalism.

Warkworth Police Sergeant Mark Stallworthy says the statue has become a target and police are taking the matter seriously. He believes targeting the statue has become a tradition among some youth in the area, rather than being based on any ideological agenda.

Police will be viewing CCTV footage as part of their investigation and are keen to track down the offenders. Stallworthy is asking anyone with information to get in touch with police.