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New Zealand Wars Memorial in 2016 | |
36°51′20.884″S 174°45′57.751″E / 36.85580111°S 174.76604194°E / -36.85580111; 174.76604194 | |
Location | Wakefield Street Reserve, Auckland |
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Designer | Thomas Eyre Macklin |
Material |
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Opening date | 1920 |
Heritage New Zealand – Category 2 | |
Designated | 6 June 2005 |
Reference no. | 4493 |
The New Zealand Wars Memorial in Auckland commemorates imperial and Māori troops during the New Zealand Wars who were allied with Britain. The statue was commissioned by the Victoria League, and sculpted by Thomas Eyre Macklin. Since its opening in 1920, the statue has been frequently subject to protests.
Background
Inception
The Victoria League was formed shortly after Queen Victoria's death with the guiding message of 'the conservation... of the deeds of British soldiers and sailors, and other patriotic men and women in the Empire.' Edith Statham, the committee secretary of the League, advocated for the erection of a memorial commemorating the New Zealand Wars. Despite her limited knowledge of the conflicts, she supported the project as part of her interest in promoting propaganda in favour of the British Empire.
To achieve their aims, Statham and the Victoria League sought to erect a memorial to all the soldiers, sailors and friendly Māori who died in the New Zealand Wars. In 1911, the Auckland city council offered the league Wakefield Street Reserve as a site for the memorial. This site was offered because of its proximity to the Sir George Grey Statue and the Symonds Street Cemetery where many soldiers are buried. Initially, local architect John Park won a competition to design the statue, which depicted a 'native' kneeling before an imperial soldier. This proposal lapsed because the council wanted a more conspicuous memorial.
Following the lapse of the John Park proposal, the League was forced to go to the government for additional funds. After two years, the government offered £1,000 for the project and another competition was held. The late proposal by British sculptor, Thomas Eyre Macklin, won. Macklin's design involved a stone obelisk with a draped female figure offering a palm to those who died for Empire.
Creation
According to Heritage New Zealand, dates on the bronze castings indicate that Macklin's work was undertaken in 1915. However, delivery of the castings were delayed by World War One and reached Auckland in 1917. The casts remained in storage until decisions were made to cast them. Local company, W. Parkinson & Co, constructed the obelisk.
History
Erection; Protests
Composition
Inscription
The inscription on the obelisk reads as follows:
In memory of the brave men belonging to the imperial and colonial forces, and the friendly Maoris, who gave their lives for the country during the New Zealand Wars, 1845-1866.Through the war they won the peace we know.
References
Citations
- ^ "New Zealand Wars Memorial". Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Simmonds 1960, p. 3.
- Phillips 2016, p. 36.
- ^ Phillips 2016, p. 38.
- "Maori War Memorial". New Zealand Herald. 18 August 1920. p. 7. Retrieved 10 December 2024 – via Papers Past.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Bibliography
- Phillips, Jock (2016). To the Memory: New Zealand's War Memorials. Auckland: Potton & Burton. ISBN 9780947503024.
- Simmonds, Alma (1960). 50 Years of the Victoria League in. Auckland.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)