A bronze kiwi statue, part of Whakatāne's new Kiwi Wandering Trail, has been damaged only a week after being installed.
Photos posted to Facebook show the beak of one of the statues at the Whakatāne heads bent over with the comment: "Some lowlife has vandalised the kiwi sculpture already and bent the beak, makes me angry. Disgusting really."
The 10 life-like, life‑size statues were installed around the heart of Whakatāne on November 29 at a cost of $5000 each.
The trail was a joint collaboration between the Department of Conservation and the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust as well as several other sponsors.