A major landmark in Dunedin’s Octagon, the Robert Burns statue, funded by public subscription, dates to 1887. The statue is embedded in the identity of Dunedin, ‘Edina of the South’. The statue has architectural, historic, and social significance.
The area around the Octagon was traditionally known to Kai Tahu as Otēpoti. The hapū Kai Te Pahi, Kāti Moki, and Kāti Taoka still maintain their presence and responsibility as kaitiaki in this region. In 1848 the First Church Settlement arrived in Dunedin led by Captain William Cargill and Rev. Thomas Burns (Burns’ nephew). Robert Burns (1759-1796) wrote his verses in the Scots dialect and came to epitomise Scot’s nationalism; statues of Burns are common wherever Scots have emigrated. The inspiration for Dunedin’s Burns statue were fuelled after a call for local subscriptions to support a monument in Kilmarnock. James Gordon Stuart Grant (1832-1902) was the brains behind the Dunedin campaign.

The local statue was mooted at a meeting of the Ayrshire Association in 1881. A public meeting held in the Athenaeum followed, and the Robert Burns Statue Committee was established and charged with raising funds. In April 1883 the committee authorised Sir John Steell, renowned Scottish sculptor, to proceed with the commission based on his London sculpture; it was completed that year. In March 1887 the foundation stone was laid amongst great fanfare, a procession and a crowd over 7000 people. A rare mystical Masonic ceremony was performed, and the stone was laid over a collection of coins and papers, the list of subscribers, and a document signed by members of the Burns Statue Committee.

Sir John Steell of Edinburgh cast the statue using the lost wax method, and Mr George Munro, a local contractor, built the base. Sir John Steell was a notable sculptor of the period and cast several similar statues of Burns in New York, Dundee and London. The statue was unveiled the following month, again with great pomp, and witnessed by a crowd of over 6000 people. Miss Burns, great grandniece of Robert Burns, unveiled the statue and Premier Sir George Grey (1812-1898) followed with an address. The statue stands 9 ft high (2.7 m), the base made of Peterhead granite is 9 ft 3 in (2.8 m) by 8 ft 3 in (2.5 m) by 9 ft (2.7 m) high. The sub-base is Port Chalmers bluestone which protrudes 2 ft (0.6 m) above the ground. There is an inscription in gold lettering on the east elevation of the base. Typically realistic and noble, as favoured in the Victorian period, Burns is shown seated, ankles crossed, on the forked stump of an elm beside a plough-shoe and an open scroll displaying the poem, To Mary in Heaven. . He is dressed in coat, breeches and hose and is draped in his plaid. His left arm rests on a stump while his right hand holds a quill. Burns’ head is turned to his right, and he appears to gaze thoughtfully into the distance, mid composition.

The statue has seen many changes in its surroundings. Notably, Alexander McMillan, patron of the Dunedin Burns Club (established in 1861), funded a terrace around the statue in 1967 which rebuilt in 1989. This reduced the height of the sub-base. An extensive conservation project in 2000 saw $19,000 spent on cleaning and repairing the statue. This drew a crowd of over 500 people when it was unveiled. Burns’ legacy is tied to the beginnings of the Dunedin settlement; the first Burns supper was held in January 1855, a tradition still maintained. He was also the inspiration for the University of Otago’s Burns Fellowship. Today the statue remains a strong symbol in Dunedin, at times the subject of protest, but always a focus around UNESCO City of Literature events. Burns is surrounded by plaques dedicated to literary luminaries with ties to Dunedin. Of the more than 50 statues to Burns around the world, Dunedin’s is one of the few commanding such a focal point in the heart of its city. At time of writing, a poem by David Eggleton (1952-) current Poet Laureate, is stencilled in spray paint on the road behind the statue,

‘For Robbie Burns
in bronze plucks a quill
from a passing gull,
and writes on air words
in praise of Octagon
hip-hop.’