However, it says more work is needed to strengthen the current laws.
Representatives from Ngati Waewae and Ngati Mahaki (Makaawhio) attended the Manukau District Court this week as Boyuan Zhang and his mother, Xin Li, were found guilty of attempting to take 18kg of pounamu out of the country from Auckland International Airport in July 2024.
This followed an earlier attempt two months prior, when Zhang’s father and Li’s husband was intercepted trying to export two stones weighing a combined 61kg.
The case is the first successful prosecution under the Customs Export Prohibition (Pounamu) Order 2021, which makes it unlawful to export 5kg or more of raw or partially processed pounamu without permission.
Poutini Ngāi Tahu rūnanga co-chairmen Francois Tumahai (Ngāti Waewae) and Paul Madgwick (Ngāti Māhaki) said the verdict upheld the mana of pounamu.
‘‘Pounamu is a sacred taonga, not a commodity to be plundered or smuggled out of the country. Removing it in this way strips away the tikanga, whakapapa and stories that give the stone its meaning,’’ Mr Madgwick said.
Mr Tumahai said the case had exposed areas where the law could be strengthened.
‘‘The defence argued confusion about the rules, including whether stone could be split across multiple people to avoid the weight threshold. Regardless, the intent was clearly to remove raw pounamu from New Zealand for commercial gain.
‘‘While the law currently allows under 5kg of stone to be exported without permission, we believe that threshold needs to be significantly reduced to prevent would-be smugglers from exploiting loophole.’’
