Watch NZH Local Focus: Banksy or Pranksy? Tauranga's street art mystery deepens

They're the artworks that sparked a heated debate in Tauranga - Banksy or Pranksy?

They look like the work of the acclaimed British street artist, known as Banksy, who never reveals his identity.

But some locals think they're a rip-off, designed to promote the upcoming Paradox Tauranga Street Art Festival.

"I think council are hosting the street art festival, we have these very clever renditions of Banksy's popping up in conjunction with the festival, so I do like to think they're on board and have some inside knowledge about that they are perhaps using that as a marketing tool," says Creative Bay of Plenty's Pare Taikato.

The man organising the festival, George Shaw, owns 22 original Banksy artworks which he's showing at the event.

He wouldn't say if it was a PR stunt, but he did have an opinion about the authenticity of the work.

"I would question whether they were Banksy artworks, they were stencil artworks and I think on a couple of them someone had signed Banksy, but I think the chances of Banksy doing them himself are pretty slim."

Pare Taikato had some ideas about who might be behind the works.

"It could have been any one of the street arts collective run by Lovie and Jah out of the Mount, or perhaps Garreth Steiner."

Garreth Steiner, however, denied he had anything to do with it.

"It was a pretty well executed bit of artwork so it could have been Banksy for sure, we'll never know though I guess..."

Another local artist Benjamin Lloyd was contacted but made no comment. Then, to add to the confusion, a festival insider let slip that organiser George Shaw had told them Banksy had been in town, shedding a new light on the investigation.

But no further comment was made, and given that Banksy never shows his face, we may never know the truth behind the mysterious works.

Paradox Art Festival opens at the end of March and runs until June.