The article concerns five carved wooden panels from the Taranaki district of New Zealand which were found in 1972 and are inferred to have been carved before 1820. They are spectacular examples of Maori art. Based on similarity to other wall panels, they are probably from the end wall of a Maori storehouse. Storehouses, whose building died out in the mid 19th century, traditionally had panels carved by the local masters. The panels found in 1972 were probably buried during the musket wars of the 1820s and 1830s to protect them from desecration by tribes from the north. Desecration would have entailed loss of tribal mana, which accrued to the storehouse by virtue of the food and precious things it contained and from the carving on its panels. The panels are an important part of New Zealand's cultural heritage, and it is troubling that they were to have been sold at auction in New York. A recent law names the Crown as legal owner of antiquities whose Maori ownership is not clear, and makes exportation illegal. Legal issues regarding the ownership of the panels are now being discussed. The National Museum of New Zealand may be able to use public funds to purchase and repatriate the panels.