'Tongues wagging': Hong Kong pilot offers $5000 reward over stolen Rotorua dog statue (2024)

A Hong Kong pilot has offered a $5000 reward for the safe return or information leading to the conviction of the thief or thieves of the stolen Harawene bronze statue in Rotorua.

Ross Dawson is Taupō born and and bred but hasn’t lived in New Zealand for 40 years.

But his love of dogs and desire to donate to animal charities around the world has drawn him to Rotorua Daily Post stories about the mystery of the missing statue of the beloved stray dog on Te Ngae Rd.

The life-size memorial stood on a large rock in an area Harawene used to roam beside Te Ngae Rd, opposite Robinson Ave. The statue was erected following a $10,000 community-led fundraising mission 14 years ago. It honoured the much-loved stray terrier-cross after she was suspected to have been run over.

Harawene ran away from her owner and spent her life sitting on the side of the busy highway, watching traffic. She didn’t allow anyone to approach her but was fed daily by residents in the area, who also erected a small A-frame dog shelter.

Now only two paws remain on the rock after it was cut off from its stand over Easter.

The theft has been reported to police but they say inquiries have failed to find strong leads.

Dawson is not the first to offer a large sum of money. Auckland farmer Alan Cato has offered to pay up to $10,000 to have the statue recreated.

Dawson, a professional pilot of 40 years who has flown internationally for Cathay Pacific for 31 years, told the Rotorua Daily Post from Hong Kong this week he kept up with news from Rotorua having lived in Taupō until he was about 20.

Dawson said he loved dogs and donated to a few dog charities, including shelters in Serbia and Thailand and the Humane Society International.

He said the thief or thieves needed to be held accountable and know their actions were hurtful for those who honoured Harawene’s memory.

“It’s a pretty touching story. I thought ‘how can I invest help to honour her memory’? The only ways to do that is action and money. I am not able to offer any actions from here but I can offer money.”

He didn’t expect to get the original statue back but was prepared to offer the reward for its safe return or information leading to the thief or thieves being caught.

He said given the state of the New Zealand economy at present, he hoped $5000 would “get a lot of tongues wagging”.

“That’s a lot of money.”

Dawson, who has two cats and a rescue dog called Eddie, said he didn’t live an extravagant lifestyle but was in a financial position to offer the reward.

“I’m doing okay.”

He said any payment of the reward would be carefully considered to ensure it was “ironclad”.

Rotorua police area commander Inspector Herby Ngawhika said Dawson’s offer was generous.

He said while the reward wasn’t an official police offer, police would be happy to receive contact from Dawson to check if any information leading to an arrest was legitimately from an outside source.

Ngawhika said police had a rewards policy and used it as a tactic on occasions when all other avenues had been exhausted.

He said there were strict criteria and it included ensuring such offers didn’t compromise any prosecution.

“This person [Dawson] has decided to put up a reward without police involvement which was fine ... I acknowledge him for taking so much interest and for his generosity.”

Ngawhika said it wasn’t likely police would offer a reward in this case.

He said Dawson should contact police if he was offered any information personally to ensure his safety and that the information was treated properly.

Ngawhika said police had contacted neighbours in the area of the stolen statute looking for CCTV footage, including at McDonald’s Rotorua. However, no footage could be found.

He said that given there was no firm date and time of the theft, it was difficult to “drill down”.

Police had also been to see scrap metal dealers in the area.

“We’ve drawn a blank so short of information coming through there is not a lot we can do.”

Rotorua sculptor George Andrews has agreed to recreate the statue.

The original plaster moulds made by the original sculptor, the late Fridtjof Hanson from Taranaki, have been pulled out of storage and dusted off after 15 years.

Andrews said he would talk with Cato about the work and if agreements were met, he could start the project in a couple of months.

Andrews estimated it would be “a few months” work to finish it but having the moulds made the job a lot easier.

Andrews is currently working on fixing the bronze bust of Camille Malfroy that was torn from its stand at Rotorua’s Government Gardens in February last year.

The 70cm-high bust weighing 70kg, unveiled in 2007, was recovered by police a month later.

Andrews told the Rotorua Daily Post he did not believe the disappearances of the two statues were linked but there might have been a false impression they would fetch good money from a scrap metal dealer.

A Rotorua dealer said bronze sold for $8 a kilogram.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.