The Whakatāne Kiwi Trust needs another $800 to fund repairs to the latest bronze kiwi damaged by vandals.

Attempts were made to tear Te Hau from his riverside perch earlier this month, causing serious structural damage.

One toe was broken off and a leg shaft fractured, with further damage incurred during a challenging removal from his rock base.

A call has gone out to the community to help fund the $1000 required for repairs, with $230 donated to date.

Lydia Grunwell, from the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust, said they would appreciate any donations, big or small, toward getting Te Hau repaired.

Te Hau is back in the hands of his creator, Ashurst artist Liz Grant, who is undertaking his repair.

Ms Grant said it was “heartbreaking” to see the damage after putting so much of herself into the sculptures.

“The lack of respect and appreciation shown for the works is hugely upsetting,” she said.

Ms Grant said repairing such damage was never a straightforward fix, with sometimes whole sections needing to be remade.

She expects it will be a couple of months before Te Hau is back on the trail.

Te Hau is one of 10 bronze kiwi – modelled after real kiwi the Whakatane Kiwi Trust monitors – which make up a kiwi wandering trail around the Whakatāne town centre.

He is not the first statue to have been vandalised or stolen.

Another statue, Ōhope, has been stolen three times, once ending up at Macaulay Metals, while his trail mate, Miro, has also fallen victim to thieves and been recovered up a tree.

Both these kiwi have moved location since their thefts.

Ōhope now sits in the Bay of Plenty Regional Council foyer, and Miro has been moved into the window display at Whakamax Movie Theatre.

Ms Grunwell said it was a shame to take the kiwi off the trail, and not ideal with the movie theatre and regional council not always open for people to see the statues.

She said funds spent on repairing the bronze statues takes away from the trust’s conservation efforts.

“Every dollar spent repairing vandalism is a dollar taken away from our core work – protecting living kiwi through trapping, monitoring, advocacy, and education.

“These sculptures were created for the community to enjoy and connect with kiwi – not to be broken or damaged.”

To donate to Te Hau’s repairs, go to www.whakatanekiwi.org.nz/donate