A framed display containing 4 historical rugby jerseys and some special rugby boots was taken from the Motukohu Rugby Club in the Far North early this week.

The jerseys were gifted to the club at the end of last year. Club Kaitiaki Reena Rio-Singh said when she visited the club on Monday, she noticed a smashed window and the taonga to have been taken.

“These particular jerseys are a collection from one of the clubs who presented to Motukohu before Christmas. So, five jerseys that have been a part of the uniform for 40 years. There is a lot of sentimental value associated to those jerseys” says Rio-Singh.

A pair of framed boots were also taken. The boots belonged to local NRL star James Fisher-Harris who wore them during the 2021 NRL Premiership with his former club the Penrith Panthers.

“James donated his boots to the club. We were going to auction them to raise funds for the club in 2022. We decided after we had them framed and boxed that they were too special a taonga to part with, so we decided we had to knuckle down and find some money from somewhere else and keep those boots in our club.”

Given the sentimental value of the taonga, the club whānau are simply asking for the return of the taonga, no questions asked.

“We would really appreciate their return it can be anonymous. We don’t need to know who or how they have come across these items. If they could be returned to us, we would really appreciate that.”

He karapu e whakakotahi ai te iwi

Ko te karapu o Motukohu e tū ana i ngā tahataha o te wahapū o Hokianga i Te Tai Tokerau. I mana ai te karapu i te tau 1946, engari e ai ki te whānau, nā ngā tau 1800 ‘s rā anō timata ai tā rātou tākaro whutupōro.

E ai ki te iwi kāinga, anō nei he marae te karapu nei. He wāhi e whakakotahi ai ngā iwi kāinga kia whakanui i ngā huritau, he wāhi e whakahaerehia ai ngā kaupapa whakawhanake i te hunga rangatahi. Nā whai anō te māharahara, me te pouri ki ēnei mahi e matapaetia ana he tāhae.

Police have been approached for comment. Rio-Singh says the local police officer visited and took fingerprint samples.