A reward of NZ $300,000 was posted for information leading to the recovery of the decorations and conviction of the thieves .
At the time there was much public debate about the need to offer reward money to retrieve the medals .
A reward of NZ $300,000 was posted for information leading to the recovery of the decorations and conviction of the thieves , although at the time there was much public debate about the need to offer reward money to retrieve the medals .