Precious Maori carving stolen in Beijing

STOLEN: Te Taonga O Ruaumoko, a valuable Maori carving belonging o the engineering library at the University of Canterbury has been stolen in Beijing

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There are red faces among a group of Kiwis at an earthquake conference in China after a precious Maori carving from Canterbury University was swiped from under their noses.

The brazen theft of Te Taonga O Ruaumoko could bring a makutu a Maori curse to the thief, a cultural expert says.

The 37-centimetre-high wooden carving is usually held in Canterbury University's engineering library. However, last week it travelled to Beijing with a New Zealand delegation to the 14th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering.

It was stolen from the New Zealand table during a banquet on Friday, while in the care of delegates from the university's engineering department.

University art curator Terri Elder said it was saddened by the loss of the "important taonga".

"Every effort is being made to recover it."

Desperate efforts were made to find it, including going through the rubbish at the Jiuhua International Conference Centre.

Security camera footage showed an Asian man stealing the carving, said a New Zealand delegate who declined to be named. "We were just staggered that we didn't notice it, and absolutely appalled."

New Zealand's Embassy in Beijing was told, and Chinese police alerted airport authorities.

Te Taonga O Ruaumoko was commissioned in 1970 by Karl Steinbrugge, the then-president of the International Association for Earthquake Engineering. It was carved by the late Charles Tuarau. Ruaumoko has been at Canterbury University since 1991, but continued to travel to earthquake conferences around the globe with New Zealand delegations.

It had a clearance from the Culture and Heritage Ministry.

As Ruaumoko was not over 50 years old it was not protected a ministry spokeswoman said.

Canterbury University's school of Maori and indigenous studies head Dr Rawiri Taonui said the theft could bring bad luck or even a makutu a Maori curse to the thief.

Taonui said security measures for the carving would be questioned. "But it had become part of its heritage to travel, so we shouldn't be too harsh on them."

The carving's cultural value outstripped its monetary worth of $800, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News