Christchurch’s Captain Cook statue vandalised again, $25K worth of repairs estimated

Christchurch ratepayers must fork out around $25,000 to fix a vandalised statue of British explorer Captain James Cook in Victoria Square.

In what appears to council chiefs as a “politically motivated” attack, the statue’s eyes were gouged with a grinder and the nose was cut off, along with slogans in red paint sprayed across the statue which said “Happy Cpt Cook is Dead Day”, “The Crown is Complicit” and “Landback”.

The two attacks, which occurred early on the night of February 13-14, are believed to be the third time Cook’s Christchurch statue has been targeted on the anniversary of his death - he was killed in Hawaii on February 14, 1779.

The two attacks are believed to be the third time Cook’s Christchurch statue has been targeted on the anniversary of his death. Photo / Pierre Nixon

Christchurch City Council acting head of parks Rupert Bool said: “The repair cost for the tagging and physical damage is estimated to be between $15,000 and $25,000, which includes security, scaffolding, staff labour, conservator and materials.”

“The council has increased security in relation to the area, the incident has been reported to the police and repairs and cleaning are currently underway. We are looking into any additional security measures to be taken next year,” he said.

The Cook Statue in Victoria Square, sculpted by William Trethewey, was unveiled on August 10, 1932, by the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, to commemorate the three journeys of James Cook to New Zealand between 1769 and 1779.

According to NZHistory, Cook’s relationship with Māori got off to a disastrous start when a Ngāti Oneone leader, Te Maro, was shot and killed by one of Cook’s men.

The statue’s eyes were gouged and the nose was cut off, along with slogans in red paint sprayed across the memorial. Photo / Pierre Nixon

The damage to the statue follows numerous attacks on Cook memorials in recent years.

In 2020, a Captain James Cook statue in Gisborne was defaced.

Images posted on social media showed graffiti sprayed across the monument, which sits alongside the Tūranganui River in Waikanae Park.

The graffiti said “Black Lives Matter and so do Māori” and “Take this racist headstone of my people down before I do”. Swastikas were also sprayed on the statue.

Meanwhile, the Captain Cook statue on the main street of Marton was covered up in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 by the Rangitīkei District Council.

The council said at the time it was “aware of the recent sensitivities around historic statues, like the Captain Cook statue in Marton”.