'Awful' huia theft still haunts Dannevirke museum staff

Murray Holden and Nancy Wadsworth are still upset about the theft of the female huia, which once stood next to its mate on display in the Dannevirke Gallery of History. Photo / Leanne Warr

Dannevirke Gallery of History would like tooffer a reward for the return of its stolen huia - but can't afford to.

The female bird, shot in 1889 and preserved, was taken from a display in July 2020.

Only the male of the pair remains.

The man responsible, Dean Mudgway, was convicted of the theft and sentenced to 19 months jail in June for this offence and a raft of other crimes.

In a restorative justice session, he told museum staff that he'd stolen it to pay off a drug debt.

An alleged co-offender charged alongside Mudgway was found not guilty following a defended hearing in Dannevirke District Court earlier this month.

Gallery president Nancy Wadsworth said the theft was "awful". "It was horrible," she said. "It was just an awful feeling of how could we miss it."

The museum is staffed by volunteers, most of whom are in their 70s and 80s.

Vice-president Murray Holden said lessons had been learnt from the crime.

In court, CCTV footage showed the case containing the two endemic birds was just out of range of the camera.

"We were too trusting, I guess," Holden said. "We put in a new CCTV so we've upgraded our security."

Wadsworth added: "All we really want is our bird back again. It's just such a shame. They were a beautiful pair and they attracted a lot of attention."

The pair were originally a wedding gift in 1892 from Tom Thompsen to his daughter Caroline, who married James Galloway.

Dannevirke's Gallery of History was the scene of a huia theft in July 2020. Photo Tony Clark

The birds had been shot three years before in the Pohangina Valley.

In 1990 they were gifted to the museum by descendants of the family.

In his book Gone - A search for what remains of the world's extinct creatures author Michael Blencowe dedicated a chapter to the Huia.

According to the author, the birds, members of the wattlebird family, held an important place in Māori culture.

It was said that only high-ranking Māori were permitted to wear the huia's white-tipped tail feather in their hair.

As such, they were considered sacred.

Blencowe visited the museum some time ago, specifically to see the pair because few museums in New Zealand have them on display.

A sub-tribe of Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Huia, petitioned the then governor of New Zealand, Lord Onslow, who convinced the government of the day to pass a law making it an offence to shoot the birds.

By then, it was 1899 and the birds were nearing extinction.

Last year's theft was not the first time someone had stolen from the display. In 2012, someone took 12 tail feathers from the male.

It was believed they also tried to take the female's.

The museum would like to offer a reward for the return of the female huia, but due to Covid, they don't have enough funds to be able to do so.

"We're just not getting the people through," Holden said.

If there was a benefactor out there who was able to help, they would welcome it.

As for where the bird is now, police believe it is still in the Tararua region but the museum has heard differently, thinking it may be in the Horowhenua region.

"Somebody out there knows something about it," Holden said. "They know where it is."