July 16, 2019
Cook statue target as Tuia 250 nears
A statue of Captain James Cook on the Gisborne waterfront has been vandalised
'Thief Pakeha' was spraypainted on one side of the stature and 'this is our land' on the other.
Gisborne District Councillor says it's not the first time the statue had been vandalised, and it reflects a level of feeling about the commemorations later this year of the 250th anniversary of the English navigator's arrival in Aotearoa on the British Navy ship the Endeavour.
Meanwhile, Thames Coromandel District Council is working to rebuild a stone cairn at Cooks Beach before the Tuia 250 Commemorations in October.
The cairn marking Cook's visit to the area toppled into the sea during a storm a year ago.
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