The 'whack-a-mole' of protecting pounamu

The 'whack-a-mole' of protecting pounamu

Pounamu is a sacred taonga to Ngāi Tahu that has a growing black market. Earlier this week, a police bust recovered a tonne of pounamu in Central Otago and South Westland. Three people are set to appear in the Greymouth District Court next week, charged with theft. This comes not long after a mother and son duo were found guilty of attempting to export an illegal amount of pounamu to China. It is the first time a prosecution of this kind has bee…