Editorial: Taonga theft shocks

Katie Holland.

The theft of precious taonga from a children's gravesite has shocked and upset their family, and understandably so.

Theft of anything and from anywhere is low. It can be heartbreaking, violating and have a lasting impact, whether it was theft from the living or the dead.

Sadly, today is not the first time we have shared a story where Rotorua graves or headstone have been intentionally damaged or targeted by thieves.

Each time, people shake their heads and ask what kind of person steals from a grave.

I would respond, what kind of person steals from anywhere?

To expect a thief to respect the dead when they don't respect the living is asking too much.

Objectively, theft is theft. But theft from a gravesite with its associated sense of disturbing the peace of loved ones, just seem much more low. Cemeteries and burial grounds are sacred places.

In many cases they represent the only physical reminder of a person who was loved and is dearly missed.

They become a focus for whanau to gather, to share memories, to talk or pray beside their loved ones. So it's understandable it hits that much harder.

TVs, wallets, bikes and other commonly stolen "stuff" can all be replaced.

Taonga like the pou stolen from the graves of two young children at Kaue Cemetery can never be replaced.

It is more than just stuff. It would be a sad day if it got to the point where people weren't prepared to erect memorials such as pou at gravesites, for fear they may be stolen.

But bar closing off cemeteries to the public - which would defeat the purpose of them - or installing 24-hour security - again, an impractical solution, there is no obvious way of combating thefts or damage at cemeteries.

If only there was really such a thing as honour among thieves. Or, better still, no thieves at all.