A Manawatu family have been left heartbroken after a portrait of their first-born child who died in hospital was damaged in transit and New Zealand Post refuses to return it.
The child died in hospital in 2013 and the only pictures the family have are of her covered in tubes.
This led to the parents having a portrait commissioned of their dead baby daughter with her three siblings as part of their fifth wedding anniversary celebrations.
Unfortunately the portrait was badly damaged while being delivered by NZ Post.
NZ Post quickly apologised to the family and offered them monetary compensation but said due to policy they couldn't return the damaged item.
"We are absolutely gutted," the mother, who asked not to be named, told the NZ Herald.
"It is so precious to us and no one else. It is priceless, and has so much sentimental value.
"Even though it is damaged, it would still be nice just to have, to hold and look at."
She says the family had the portrait drawn so they could have something special to remember her by, not just the hospital pictures.
Even though the sketch had been carefully rolled up in a protective cardboard tube by artist Christine Rowntree, it had been crushed in transit leading to NZ Post asking for the family to send it back for assessment after they were contacted with the issue.
"I had only shown the picture to my husband and my dad, so it was really hard to send it back as we just wanted to keep looking at her with the other kids," the mother said.
"I took a picture of it and I have it on my phone so I can look at her."
The artist then said it took NZ Post a month to get back to her, they said they would reimburse the $280 cost of the portrait but would not be sending it back.
Ms Rowntree has committed to redoing the portrait at no cost to the family but is unhappy with the way NZ Post has dealt with the situation.
An NZ Post spokesperson says the company is "very sorry for the distress this has caused, especially so given the sentimental value of the item".
However, their policy is similar to that of insurance companies where if the item is compensated in full it then becomes the property on NZ Post.
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