Statue of John Fane Charles Hamilton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Statue of John Fane Charles Hamilton
The statue in 2017
Artist	Margriet Windhausen
Year	2013 (2013)
Medium	Bronze sculpture
Subject	John Fane Charles Hamilton
Location	Hamilton, New Zealand

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

The settlement of Hamilton (now a city) was named after Hamilton, 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.

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

History

In 2017 the donor's CEO, Sir William Gallagher, 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. About a dozen directors walked out of the speech in protest. In June 2020, ahead of a George Floyd protest, the City Council discussed the statue with Sir William's brother and fellow director, John Gallagher, then slated it for removal, after a request by Māori tribal confederation Waikato Tainui. On 12 June 2020, the City Council removed the statue of Captain Hamilton.