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 damaged kiwi. Photo / Supplied](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/YV4Q4V2ETKSZSWSIKKYGGDGKSE.jpg?auth=c8d9c69ba6ab6a27517b932b876e99f38a0c545f9b610d311cf25756e20c8966&width=16&height=22&quality=70&smart=true)
The trail was a joint collaboration between the Department of Conservation and the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust as well as several other sponsors.