Praise for carvings as STATUE DEBATE heats up
New Zealand’s race relations commissioner has praised Tokoroa’s bold display of mixed culture as calls to remove colonial statues grow throughout the country.
For 25 years the South Waikato town, which has a significant mix of cultures due to Kinleith Mill in its heyday providing an abundance of jobs to immigrant workers, has proudly made and displayed dozens of carvings depicting its various cultures.
Known as the Talking Poles several of the carvings, which feature the likes of Papua New Guinea, Ma¯ ori, European, and Pasifika symbolism, now stand together as a forest along State Highway 1 symbolising the community coming together.
Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon said while inequalities and racism remain in New Zealand, Tokoroa’s approach to tackling the issue should be commended.
‘‘The way we commemorate history, culture and events is often determined by the minority culture, and often at the local council level,’’ he said.
‘‘I applaud Tokoroa for having such a prominent display of poupou in and around the central business district, including how they represent other cultures.’’
His comments come in the wake of Hamilton City Council removing a statue of Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton, who the city is named after, following a request from Waikato-Tainui.
Before its removal Huntly kauma¯ tua Taitimu Maipi told Stuff he intended to tear down the bronze statue during a protest march claiming Captain Hamilton was a ‘‘murderous a...hole’’.
A controversial statue of Captain James Cook, erected in 1969 on Gisborne’s Tı¯tı¯rangi Hill, was also removed in 2019 and venue name changes, such as The Captain Cook Hotel in Dunedin, whose owner is now exploring Ma¯ ori names, are becoming more apparent.
South Waikato Mayor Jenny Shattock said unlike many colonial statues that have been vandalised, Tokoroa’s Talking Poles have never been targeted.
She put it down to the project being community driven.
‘‘I was with community group Tokoroa A Naturally Growing Success (TANGS) at the time and it was an initiative from Rotorua landscape designer Colleen Priest [as part of the] CBD upgrade. We wanted something to celebrate the cultural divinity of our town.
‘‘It was just a concept that the community took ownership of ...... and it sort of just morphed.’’
Shattock said many of the carvings were carved by locals.
‘‘There were some very good carvers who came on board, they were fantastic and just made something out of nothing but it was art.’’
Shattock said the South Waikato District Council later took over and held several symposiums with international carvers getting involved, further adding to the cultural diversity.
Project manager Walter Williams said while the poles were originally meant to have a talking feature so people could learn about what they represent, until now cost had prohibited it.
‘‘Because the cost of some technology has actually come down, in the forest at least we are looking at having a couple of poles that do talk,’’ he said.
‘‘We are also looking at an app based solution so you can actually get the pole talking to you through your phone.’’
Williams said it was part of the concept for the poles to be replaced as they degrade.
‘‘It’s about keeping it alive,’’ he said.
Council communications manager Kerry Fabrie, who hails from South Africa, put Tokoroa’s success with embracing cultural diversity down to the town being proud of cultural differences.
‘‘We embrace and celebrate the differences because when you celebrate you learn a little bit more too,’’ she said.
Shattock and Williams, who both grew up in the town, said being surrounded by so many cultures with one major employer meant people were also more accepting of each other.
‘‘John St [where I grew up] was a hive of multiculturalism,’’ Shattock said.
‘‘We had Ma¯ ori and Pacific Island neighbours, we were all poor, and we all played out on the street. We just got on with it.
‘‘Those sorts of things are the glue that keeps people together and the diversity of our sports teams is important too.’’
Foon said it was important for communities to have informed discussions with minority groups if street or town names and statues were being debated.
‘‘I encourage all people to learn about their local iwi and hapu¯ history,’’ he said.
‘‘I think that we are mature enough to have an informed discussion about how we commemorate our past, and how we adapt to working in partnership with iwi and hapu¯ . This is helping us build an inclusive society.’’
He said he was working on a national action plan that aims to address discrimination and racism.
‘‘It will also address wider inequalities and attitudes towards minority cultures,’’ he said.