Statue of John Fane Charles Hamilton

A bronze statue of John Fane Charles Hamilton was installed for seven years, in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Statue of John Fane Charles Hamilton
The statue in 2017
ArtistMargriet Windhausen
Year2013 (2013)
MediumBronze sculpture
SubjectJohn Fane Charles Hamilton
LocationHamilton, New Zealand

The settlement of Hamilton (now a city) was named after Hamilton,[1] a British naval officer who was killed in action during colonial invasion of Maori land at the Battle of Gate Pā. The statue was removed in 2020.[2]

The life-size statue by Margriet Windhausen was gifted to Hamilton City by the Gallagher Group in 2013 "to celebrate 75 years in business".[3][4]

History

In 2017 the donor's CEO, Sir William Gallagher,[5] gave an Institute of Directors speech describing the Treaty of Waitangi as a fraud and denied it involved a partnership between Māori and the Crown.[6] About a dozen directors walked out of the speech in protest.[7] In June 2020, ahead of a George Floyd protest, the City Council discussed the statue[8] with Sir William's brother and fellow director, John Gallagher,[9] then slated it for removal, after a request by Māori tribal confederation Waikato Tainui.[10][11] On 12 June 2020, the City Council removed the statue of Captain Hamilton.[12]

See also

References
  1. "City Info, Hamilton City Council & Hamilton, New Zealand – Living Hamilton". web.archive.org. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  2. "Bye Hamilton, hello Kirikiriroa? City mulls name change after statue's removal". Newshub. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  3. "Catalogue showcases city's public art collection". Waikato Museum. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  4. "John Fane Charles Hamilton (1820–1864) – Battles of Gate Pa & Te Ranga (1864) – Tauranga Memories". web.archive.org. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  5. "Sir William Gallagher - Gallagher". Gallagher Group Limited. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  6. Hamilton, Scott (28 November 2017). "Treaty of Waitangi denialism: a long, dark and absurd history". The Spinoff. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  7. "Sir William Gallagher claims Treaty of Waitangi cover-up". Stuff. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  8. "Controversial statue of Captain John Hamilton has been removed". RNZ. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  9. "Businessmen Brothers Honoured". Gallagher Group Limited. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  10. Neilson, Michael (11 June 2020). "George Floyd protests: Hamilton City Council to remove controversial statue". NZ Herald. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  11. "Controversial statue of Captain John Hamilton has been removed". 12 June 2020.
  12. "Winston Peters unimpressed with outcry over colonial statues". Radio New Zealand. 12 June 2020.


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