The Star: February 22, 2024

Thursday February 22 2024 The Star
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
NEWS 5
‘This latest action crosses the barrier
into really serious damage’ – council
POLITICAL STATEMENT: The statue of Captain James
Cook in Victoria Square was defaced on February 14, the
anniversary of his death in 1779. PHOTOS: CHRIS BARCLAY ​
• From page 1
The city council posted a
security guard after the second
attack.
Cook’s statue had previously
been targeted on the anniversary
of his death in 2019 and 2022,
while there was also damage
done in June 2020 and August
2022.
Although Cook, who set foot
in New Zealand on October 8,
1769, left a legacy of scientific
and geographical knowledge, he
is also a controversial figure in
terms of enabling British colonialism.
The latest incident has
prompted a call to station
security guards at the landmark
to prevent another costly restoration
job in 2025 and beyond.
Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central
Community Board member
John Miller now wants measures
to be in place for next year’s anniversary.
“I think it would be worth
having some eyes on it before
the next anniversary. It’s fairly
predictable there’s a good chance
of a fourth attempt happening,”
Miller said, adding the cost of
repairing the statue would outweigh
the cost of security.
“Grinding the nose off and
gouging the eyes is not only
macabre . . . from an art curation
point of view that’s going to cost
us an arm and a leg to repair and
reinstate.
“This latest action crosses the
barrier into really serious damage,
it’s not just applying paint.”
City council acting head of
parks Rupert Bool said the council
was looking into additional
security measures for next year.
He said the repair bill for last
week’s damage ranged between
$15,000 to $25,000 and covered
security, scaffolding, staff labour,
materials and remedial work
undertaken by a heritage conservator.
A water-based paint stripping
product was used to lift the graffiti.
The statue was donated by
bookmaker and philanthropist
Matthew Barnett, and was
shaped from a 12-tonne block of
marble by William Trethewey.
It was unveiled on August 10,
1932 and moved to a more central
location when motor vehicle
traffic on Victoria St stopped
flowing through the square in
1989.
Monuments to Cook have
drawn criticism in the past,
particularly in present-day
Gisborne, where his crew killed
local Māori during an early
interaction at the Turanganui
River.
In 2019, the statue of Cook
on Gisborne’s Titirangi Hill
was relocated downtown to
Tairawhiti Museum following
ongoing protests and vandalism.
POLARISING FIGURE:
British explorer Captain
James Cook.
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