Sacred Waikato rock smashed with sledgehammer
A vandal wielding a sledgehammer has smashed an iconic and sacred site in the small South Waikato village of Atiamuri.
The desecration of Te Ko¯whatu o Hatupatu (Hatu Patu’s Rock), a wa¯hi tapu site near State Highway 1 in Atiamuri, 15 kilometres south of Tokoroa, was discovered during the Christmas period.
Fragments of the rock were smashed off, and divots can be seen on the face of the rock. Noone has taken responsibility for the attack.
Raukawa kauma¯tua and wha¯nau from Ongaroto undertook a karakia at the site and brought the fragments of rock back to Te whare o Raukawa for safekeeping.
Raukawa Settlement Trust chair Vanessa Eparaima said the desecration of the rock was saddening.
‘‘Our Iwi whanaungatanga were informed of the damage and tikanga we undertook,’’ she said. ‘‘We hope to have discussions with our wha¯nau and iwi relations later this month to agree on next actions. Our hope is that the perpetrator seeks resolution.’’
South Waikato District councillor and criminal lawyer Arama Ngapo-Lipscombe described the act as heinous, and asked whether it was a hate crime.
‘‘I am absolutely disgusted
that anyone would choose to deface a wa¯hi tapu site. It is a significant site that is part of our local and national history,’’ she said.
‘‘It leads one to think that maybe this is a hate crime. A significant site to Ma¯oridom has been deliberately attacked, there is no other way to put it.’’
Nga¯po-Lipscombe said the perpetrator could face a charge of intentional damage, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
No official complaint has been laid with police to date.
In 2017, mana whenua, in collaboration with the South Waikato District Council, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, Mercury Energy and Heritage New Zealand, refurbished the site with native plants and storyboards telling the history of the rock.