Historian urges ‘Bully Hayes’ restaurant to change name
As statues depicting racist figures come down across the globe a Kiwi restaurant named after a Pacific slave trader, alleged rapist and paedophile is being urged to change its name.
Bully Hayes Restaurant & Bar in Akaroa, about 40km from Christchurch, is named after a 19th century American “illegal grog trader, swindler, gun runner and slave trader”, as described on the eatery’s website, who spent some time in the small settlement, even establishing a pub.
The website also describes Hayes as a “colourful character” and “lovable rogue”, but Pa¯keha¯ historian Scott Hamilton says this is denying the “absolutely chilling history” and horrific deeds he inflicted on the Pacific.
These included abducting and raping young women and children from various Pacific islands, and stealing locals and selling them to plantations in Tahiti, Fiji, and Queensland — details Hamilton found in researching his book The Stolen Island.
“It is quite saddening to see the name being used in that way . . . Now would be a good time for a rethink.”
The call comes after the statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol, England, was pulled down by Black Lives Matter protesters after a rally against the death of George Floyd and racial injustice.
Hamilton said the protests across the globe were a chance for New Zealand, particularly Pa¯keha¯, to reflect on its own racial and colonial history. “I think there is a big gap in what people remember, particularly around the Pacific slave trade and New Zealand’s role in it.
“Pa¯keha¯ have a strong tendency to define ourselves as not as bad as overseas, but really it is just a monumental ignorance.”
Restaurant owner Wayne Jones was unrepentant about the name when approached by the Herald.
Changing it would be “chucking away history”, and he had no intention of doing so any time soon.
He knew Hayes’ history, and said he was not trying to glorify it or erase certain aspects. “Slavery and Pacific exploitation are just part of a long list of things he did.”
But Hamilton said it was Jones who was “erasing history”.
“The website description has no mention of labour trafficking, or sexual violence, all these misdeeds. [The owner] is living proof you can erase history.”
In the 19th century, traders swept through the Pacific seeking labour to work their sugar, cocoa and copra plantations. In many cases people were simply taken through coercion and deception, or even kidnapped, a process known as “blackbirding”.
Hamilton said Hayes was still remembered with horror by descendants of those he’d come across. “This guy was a rogue human.” Hayes’ deeds are detailed in the book The White Pacific, by African American scholar Gerald Horne, which also showed the slaver was protected by high-placed relatives in Washington DC, Hamilton said.