COOK STATUE TO BE REMOVED AFTER MAORI PROTESTS

A statue of Captain Cook will be removed from a hill in New Zealand after protests by local Maoris who say their ancestors arrived long before the British explorer. Council officials in Gisborne on the North Island say they will relocate the 1969 monument, which has been repeatedly defaced by vandals who have discoloured it, stolen its sword and painted on to it a bikini and sandals. Critics have described Cook, who landed in the area aboard HMS Endeavour in 1769, as a “murderer” and “crooked Cook.” Leaders of the local Ngati Oneone tribe say historical records show that Cook’s crew shot nine of their people, killing six, and that his arrival led to European settlement, which resulted in their dispossession and the demise of their culture.