A bell was stolen from a chapel undergoing strengthening work in a Wellington suburb, and a $5000 reward has been raised by contractors to award to anyone who could return the item which could be worth only $300 if sold for scrap.

The bell, estimated to made from bronze and weighing over 40 kilograms, had been taken down on Wednesday from the historic Chapel of Our Lady, Star of the Sea in Seatoun, Wellington.

Police said the chapel burglary is the latest in a wave of metal thefts in Wellington, adding the bell may have been taken to be recycled for scrap metal.

Police central communications Inspector Ken Climo said there had been a significant increase in metal thefts recently, "even down to the grates on the drains."

"If you are stealing it and selling it to scrap metal, police are monitoring," Inspector Climo said.

Dominion Post reported Metalcorp NZ values copper at between $4.69 and $8.63, in which case the 40-kg bell could not be sold for over $350 at a scrap shop.

Late in March, the bell at the Kenepuru Hospital, also in Wellington, was bolted down and taken presumably for its scrap value. This hospital bell was part of Sunday services, and was rung every time a patient died.

Infrastructure director Stavros Michael of the Wellington City Council recently said metal thefts were putting a lot of lives at risk as stolen drain grates turn into death-trap holes into which children could fall and bikers could ride into, Dominion Post reported.

Anyone in NZ with information on the missing Seatoun bell should call 04 909 3000.