The mana of a stolen tāonga has been restored

A Māori carving taken from an Earthquake Engineering conference in China has been replaced with an exact replica carved by the National Carving School at Te Puia.

The 37 centimeter tall carving was originally carved by Master Carver Charles Tuarau and represented Ruaumoko, the God of Earthquakes. The carving has been held by The University of Canterbury’s Engineering Department since 1991. It was stolen from the Jiuhua International Conference Centre in October last year.

Mr Tuarau was part of an early intake to Te Ao Marama, the first National Māori Carving School which would later become Te Wānanga Whakairo Rākau at Te Puia.

Resident Master Carver Clive Fugill says carving the replica was made easier by modern technology “From the photos sent up we were able to create an image which showed the exact dimensions and detail.”

The carving took 2 weeks to produce and the only difference is the colour of the base which is slightly darker than the original.

A formal ceremony is being held on September 10^th where The University of Canterbury Vice-Chancellor (Māori) Sir Tipene O’Regan will place the new carving where the original ‘Te Tāonga o Ruaumoko’ was housed in the school’s Engineering Library.