In a recent theft at a public library in northern New Zealand, thieves stole the penis of a wooden Maori figurine erected at the entrance.

The three masked men armed with a chisel were caught by a security camera removing the tiki's or statue's penis early on Sunday morning.

The figurine is one of two indigenous Maori designs that stand on posts on both sides of the entrance to the library in Whangarei.

Carver Kerry Strongman told the AP that the theft had damaged the "mana" or pride of the city, adding that he would begin work immediately on a carving that would restore the tiki to its original state.

Police said they were at a loss to explain the theft, particularly as a nearby statue of Tangaroa, the Maori god of the sea, was better endowed.