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Download AudioSome of the signs put up around Ahipara to highlight culturally significant places have gone missing.
Twenty-four tohu were put up in the far north coastal village last month as part of the Te Hiku o Te Ika Open Spaces Revitalisation project.
Roma Marae chair John Patai says residents and visitors were keen to learn the history of the area.
But he suspects the person who took the signs may not want hapū and iwi stories shared with the public.
“Is it somebody who comes from that end of the spectrum? Because I come from the other end. I’ve seen too much of our information go to the grave with our kuia kaumatua because they didn’t share it and there may have been good reasons for them not sharing it but look, these names are not tapu,” Mr Patai says.
The signs cost more than $700 each, so it’s unlikely they will be replaced.
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