Damage to a cenotaph in Ngaruawahia caused by vandals ahead of Anzac Day commemorations will not stop a planned service going ahead on Thursday.
A plaque has been pulled from the monument at The Point and a 2-metre piece of stone has been damaged. Two bronze wreaths were also stolen.
The site will be tidied up and the plaque will be temporarily reinstated in time for the Anzac service taking place at the cenotaph on Thursday morning.
"We managed to salvage the plaque that was left behind, and we have been working pretty hard to try and get it repaired in time for tomorrow, but unfortunately we cannot get it reinstated completely," Waikato District Council's community connections manager Megan May told Newshub.
She added people who go to pay their respects tomorrow shouldn't notice too much difference as stonemasons work to have the cenotaph repaired as quickly as possible.
Restoring the structure to its original state may take some time as the correct size and colour of the material currently on the memorial must be first sourced.
Ngaruawahia RSA president Chris Jew said it was disappointing that this vandalism occurred ahead of Anzac Day.
"Respect should be paid to these memorials and to have them damaged at any time during the year is such a shame, but right before Anzac Day, a day where the country remembers its fallen, is especially disheartening."
Jew said the community would be grateful that any information about the damage be passed on to the Council or the RSA.
Newshub.
