Historian says removing Hamilton statue 'momentous'

Friday, 12 June 2020

New Zealand historian Vincent O'Malley​ has said the removal of a colonial statue in Hamilton is 'momentous'.

The Captain John Hamilton statue was taken down by Hamilton City Council on Friday after kaumātua Taitimu Maipi told Stuff he would remove it during a protest march on Saturday.

O'Malley, an expert in the New Zealand Wars, said debate had raged for some time about the fate of the Captain Hamilton statue.

'It is significant, it's encouraging that Hamilton City Council acted speedily on the requests of Waikato-Tainui to address their concerns around the statue,' he said.

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'[The Hamilton statue] is an unusual case because it was erected so recently, most of the statues that are under discussion now are a century old or more.'

But O'Malley said the removal pointed to a wider trend where the country was facing up to its past.

Discussing historical symbols - including statues, street names and place names - was important, even if uncomfortable.

In general, colonial statues told people very little about history, O'Malley said.

'A lot of the older monuments that were erected around the New Zealand Wars failed to acknowledge Māori who fought against The Crown.

'They are basically celebrations of colonialism and imperialism, without any acknowledgement of the victims.'

There were lots of other ways people could engage with New Zealand history, through books, websites or documentaries, he said.

O'Malley said he supported the Māori Party's call for a Government inquiry into colonial statues and place names.

'I think it's useful to have a dialogue around what we do with these symbols from the past.'