Statue of John Fane Charles Hamilton


A bronze statue of John Fane Charles Hamilton is installed in Hamilton, New Zealand, after whom the town is named. The life-size statue by Margriet Windhausen was gifted to Hamilton 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.