The white marble figure of a soldier with rifle is set on a plinth base with a broken section of tree-stump, which refers to life cut short.
A report to next Monday's Waihemo Community board meeting by Dunedin traditional stone mason Marcus Wainwright of Dunedin, says the white marble is believed to be from the quarries around Carrara, Italy.
The arch, pillars, plaques and base of the memorial also needed considerable refurbishment, with weeds, algae and discolouration apparent.
Community board chairman Rod Philip said the cleaning and protective coatings to be applied to the marble statue and other parts of the memorial arch were probably the first major work undertaken since the memorial was built in 1922.
Reconditioning the memorial could cost about $10,000, WDC recreation manager Erik van der Spek said.
The WDC would approach the RSA to see if it would be prepared to help with the cost and the council would also look at what funds it might have available.
Donations from people in the Palmerston and Waihemo area would be appreciated, Mr van der Spek said.
