Museum repatriation decision triggers police investigation in New Zealand

Police in New Zealand are investigating a complaint alleging the theft of paintings from the Whanganui Regional Museum, a case that authorities said involves artworks repatriated following a formal decision by the museum’s governing body.

Whanganui Police confirmed to Urgent Matter that it received a complaint on February 18, 2025, alleging the theft of “paintings” from the Whanganui Regional Museum. It did not specify how many artworks were involved.

“The matter involves items that were repatriated in 2023 following a lengthy investigation by the museum and instructions from its governing body,” police said.

“The investigation has a number of complexities to it and is ongoing. Police are not seeking any other parties in regard to the matter.”

The museum rejected the allegation that any theft occurred.

“There has been no theft or unexplained absences of collection items,” John Smart, chairman of the museum’s board, said in an emailed statement. “The museum takes great care of its collection items. The recent allegations made are false.”

Smart said the paintings at issue were taonga, treasured Māori cultural objects, held under a custodial framework in which a designated kaitiaki, or guardian, is chosen by the relevant iwi, hapū, or whānau — the tribe, sub-tribe or family to which the item belongs.

He said that, in 2023, the museum board decided to repatriate a painting to its kaitiaki following long-standing requests for its return. According to the museum, it received a complaint in early 2025 relating to the process used to carry out that repatriation.

“The museum conducted a thorough internal review of the decision and all the relevant documents supporting the repatriation, which found that the allegations made in the complaint were unfounded,” Smart said.

Smart said the museum does not determine who the official guardian of an object is, describing that process as one for the relevant whānau, or extended Māori family group, to resolve.

“The decisions on repatriation of taonga are taken by the Joint Council of the Museum on the advice of the Tikanga Māori House and follow a thorough process,” he said.

Neither police nor the museum answered questions about why police are involved more than a year after a complaint was raised with the museum, and roughly three years after the repatriation, despite the museum’s assertion that no theft or unexplained absence occurred.

Smart told the Whanganui Chronicle that police had not yet raised any concerns with the museum, and that the issue was unrelated to the recent resignation of museum director Bronwyn Labrum.

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