A karakia has been held and the community has come together after more than 20 headstones were vandalised at a Hawke’s Bay urupā over the weekend.
Police said it had received a report on Sunday afternoon that between 20-25 headstones at the Ōmāhu Urupā had been damaged sometime on Saturday night.
Ōmāhu Urupā was badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 with many burial sites impacted by flooding.
Reverend Zhane Tiopira Tāhau said the community was “devastated” by the vandalism but had built “so much resilience” from the weather event.
“It was only two years ago when this urupā was around 1.2 metres underwater, and so over those two years whānau have been restoring and repairing these headstones, some them had only just been repaired.”
The karakia was important to “come together, kōrero and reset as our whānau begin the repairs and restoration”, he said.
Anne Waapu said the community had “been through a lot in the past few years” with Cyclone Gabrielle.
“Now at the hands of someone in our community, now again we come together again and we show our strength and that whanautanga too.
“My thoughts go to whoever has done this as well, whatever your culture or background, there’s obviously a taumahatanga (difficulty) they are going through.”
Keita Tuhi said a few of her immediate family members’ graves had been damaged and that the morning began with the thought of coming together in remembrance and “the challenges we’re all facing”.
“There’s sadness, but a lot of healing in that. Seeing everyone come and gather this morning for a short time, as a kāinga, we can overcome, whatever that may look like.”
Ngāti Kahungunu chairman Bayden Barber had just come back from Te Matatini in New Plymouth and was “very shocked” by the damage.
“To come home and to hear the urupā had been vandalised, pretty shocking, of all the places you could vandalise.”
Whānau with tūpuna buried at Ōmāhu Urupā were “resilient” and would “bounce back,” he said.
“We’ve been through a cyclone, this place has been through a cyclone too.”
He said whoever vandalised the headstone “must be struggling with some issues”.
“It’s a sign that things aren’t fully recovered, and so we need to work harder together. We don’t want to see this happening in our community.”
