Early Napier The Ahuriri area’s rivers, wetlands, lagoons and fertile land produced important resources, making the area an attractive place to live. Settlement is thought to have begun in the twelfth or thirteenth century and Ngāti Kahungunu became the dominant iwi from the sixteenth century. There were several pā at what became Port Ahuriri and Napier. As a result of inter-tribal warfare, around the 1830s many local Ngāti Kahungunu sought refuge in Māhia. When missionaries and other Europeans began arriving after the Treaty of Waitangi’s signing, the exiles returned and Te Koau, near Te Pakake, became the principal local pā. With the Ahuriri Purchase of 1851, the Crown acquired the lands between the Tutaekuri River and north to the Mohaka area, inclusive of Mataruahou and most of its surrounds. A few years later, in 1855, Napier was established by the government, with the town primarily located on the hill and around its base, as well as the narrow spits extending south and west. The site was not promising because road access was difficult and future expansion would be challenging. However, Napier had a port, an important factor in Napier becoming Hawke’s Bay’s early administrative, commercial, and social centre. The population rose steadily: 343 in 1858 to 3,514 in 1874 and 8,774 in 1901. Memorialising the South African War in Napier The South African War (1899-1902) was the first overseas conflict that New Zealand sent troops to. The war was the result of tensions between Britain and two Boer states, over British interests in southern Africa. British Empire countries, like New Zealand, were eager to support the war. Premier Richard Seddon (1845-1906), for example, offered to send troops two weeks before fighting even began. Around 6500 New Zealand men served in South Africa. Of the 230 who died, under half were killed in the conflict or by accident, with most casualties resulting from disease. There were eight Hawke’s Bay men who died and were soon recorded on the local memorial. Initial plans for a South African War memorial in Napier focused on locating a commemorative structure along Marine Parade. Under the leadership of long-time mayor George Henry Swan (1833¬¬-1913), in the last decades of the nineteenth century this scenic area along the Napier’s foreshore was developed into a promenade designed to rival iconic British seaside attractions. The area of Marine Parade opposite the Masonic Hotel was bounded on one corner by a band rotunda, and was at the junction of three roads, including the main thoroughfare of Emerson Street. At the time of the war this area was regularly used during notable civic events. Therefore, it is not surprising that this prominent place was chosen as a location for the war memorial. Within five months of the signing of a peace treaty in mid-1902, plans were well underway to erect a South African War memorial in Napier. The More Men Fund Committee awarded the tender to produce memorial tablets to local monumental mason, John Waterworth; the plan being to fix the tablets to the band rotunda on Marine Parade. In April 1903 the Memorial Committee in charge of the project published lists of soldiers from the Hawke’s Bay district in various newspapers, with a view to correcting mistakes and rectifying omissions in preparation for inscription of the tablets. Once the tablets were made however, it was found that the original location on the band rotunda would not support their weight. The Committee asked the Napier Borough Council, for a £250 contribution from their War Funds Disbursement Committee to help build a monument to fix the tablets to. After securing further funding from the More Men Fund and the Transvaal War Fund, the Committee advertised nationwide for designs. There were fifteen entries, including Waterworth’s winning design. In 1905 the memorial was nearing completion and its dedication was set to coincide with a visit from the Governor General Lord Plunket (1864-1920) in early 1906. The fact that the monument was not yet completed did not hamper the event; the day successfully proceeding with due pomp and martial pageantry. Reports of the unveiling and the speech delivered by Lord Plunket reflect the militaristic patriotism and imperialistic rhetoric of the day: ‘The unveiling ceremony was then proceeded with, Lord Plunket saying that in erecting such a monument the townspeople were doing more than honouring the trooper, they were commemorating the greatest event in British history since the British nation became the British Empire. The spontaneous manner in which Britain's sons the world over had flocked to the banner when occasion arose, had served to show how strong were the ties which knit the nation together. …. He urged upon the people to encourage the volunteers and cadets as much as they could, and also that spirit of patriotism which meant so much to the Empire, and of which the country was so proud. His Excellency then unveiled the monument, amidst a salvo of cheers. Various military evolutions were then performed by the volunteers...’ The memorial was completed by the start of May 1906 with the installation of the marble trooper and lion. From 1916 the South African Memorial was the site of Anzac Day commemorations, until the completion of Napier’s purpose-built First World War memorial in 1924. However, the South African War Memorial still had a presence during Anzac Day events because Marine Parade was the muster point for the annual parade through the town. Given the proximity to the Borough Council Chambers, the area was also the focal point for other civic occasions, such as the announcement of Armistice Day in 1919. Interpretation of South African War Memorials In contrast to memorials erected after the two twentieth century world wars, the number of South African memorials is modest. This is not surprising given the smaller numbers participating in the South African War and its overall societal impact in terms of the loss of New Zealand lives. For example, around 0.2 per cent of New Zealand’s eligible male population died because of the war, compared with the losses of 8 per cent in the First World War. Despite this, New Zealand’s involvement in the war was important. It stimulated increasing militarism, through the introduction of military training in schools and growth of volunteer corps up and down the country. It has also been argued that New Zealand’s response to war was instrumental in the creation of national unity, ideas of nationhood, social unity, and a national male identity. At a societal level the response to the war has been described as ‘jingoistic’, especially in the early years of the conflict, and fervent patriotism continued throughout. This included continued fundraising events and public displays of support. Immediately after the war patriotism and propaganda continued. This most frequently took the form of constructing memorials to those who both served and died overseas, which were civic and public affairs. There were strong local factors that stimulated the monument building around New Zealand, such as pride in the efforts of local citizens’ war contributions. Monuments also reflected political and parochial sentiments, such as trying to keep pace with exhibits of civic patriotism in neighbouring districts and towns. In some instances, such as in the case of Napier’s South African War Memorial, such commemorations were public expressions of aspirations to be seen as leaders in the district, with larger towns commemorating soldiers from a wide catchment, beyond town boundaries. While the memorials served to reinforce imperialist ideals, for the loved ones of the dead this type of commemoration had the important function of becoming a surrogate grave and place to mourn. South African War memorials were the first instance of large-scale monument construction throughout New Zealand. This was, however, not unique to New Zealand, with post-South African War memorial building being widespread across the British Empire. Given the swiftness of construction, the memorials directly reflect societal views of the war and its significance in New Zealand. Aftermath of the Earthquake The earthquake of 3 February 1931 wrought devastation throughout Hawke’s Bay on a scale not witnessed before in New Zealand. Photographs from immediately after the earthquake are evocative of the destruction and loss that occurred. Given its prominent location, the South African War Memorial was a common feature in these images - a poignant and easily recognisable landmark amidst the devastation. As with so much of Napier, the South African War Memorial and surrounds were impacted. The trooper statue fell from the obelisk, the head coming off the body and the plinth rotated slightly. Reports of the whereabouts of the trooper’s head initially stated it was thought lost, but it was recovered and placed on the steps of the monument. However, the head disappeared again sometime during post-quake recovery work. Within months of the earthquake, a nationwide campaign by branches of the South African Veterans Association (SAVA) combined efforts to restore the Napier monument, becoming the staunchest advocates for this work. For example, in 1935, with reports that the head remained lost and plans being mooted by the Council to move the tablets from the memorial’s original site, the SAVA Dominion Secretary offered to pay for the replacement of the head in order that the monument be retained. Later in 1935 the SAVA went into talks with the Council about relocation plans that would have seen the memorial sited much further north, near the jail on the corner of Marine Parade and Coote Road. The Council wanted to undertake improvement works at the intersection where the monument sat, in line with road widening and infrastructure works. The memorial’s prominent location near the strip between the Masonic Hotel, the band rotunda and the Marine Parade, had acted as a town square of sorts for all manner of civic events. The local SAVA wanted to retain the memorial in this original site and by year end the veterans’ group had successfully convinced the Council to reconsider their plans. Restoration plans continued into 1936, but the trooper’s lost head was obviously a problem and attempts to find it led to ‘inquiries [being made] all over the Dominion’. The national SAVA conference noted that subscriptions were being collected for a replacement head and the SAVA local branch was fully engaged in working with the Council on restoration plans. It was reported that South African War Victoria Cross recipient, Major William Hardham (1876-1928), was to be the model for a replacement head. The head was eventually found by a Council workman in January 1938, along the stream bank at Georges Drive. It was unclear how it got there, but it was presumed that whoever had souvenired the head then discarded it when the police became involved in investigating the disappearance. While the SAVA had always insisted on retaining the memorial on its original site, during 1938 this position softened, the group working alongside the Council to find an appropriate site nearby. With the onset of the Second World War the project stalled, which, along with finding of the original head from the statue, prompted the SAVA to return subscriptions for the head replacement to original donors. Restoration and relocation Post-Second World War, restoration and relocation plans were resurrected with the Council proposing several different options. As with pre-war deliberations, the Council was keen to move the statue because its location at the intersection of Emerson Street, Herschell Street and Marine Parade was proving a traffic hazard. This may have been the stimulus for the addition of lights to the monument around that time. SAVA eventually agreed on re-siting the monument 35 metres north of the original site, outside the rebuilt Masonic Hotel. With approvals in place, the Council undertook to complete the works by 1947 to coincide with the annual National SAVA reunion in Hastings, at which time the monument would be rededicated. True to their word, the monument was ready in time. The overall form of the new concrete base of the monument was like the original, however the whole monument was rotated 90 degrees, so the Trooper faced south, rather than east towards the sea. It was duly unveiled with a parade of 400 veterans to the site and the and the dedication was carried out by the Dean of the Napier Cathedral. A new plaque was fixed to the monument marking the event.

Current Description The South African War Memorial is a prominent feature in its Marine Parade streetscape, at the coast/eastern end of Emerson Street. It can be seen by vehicle traffic heading north along Marine Parade, and a good view of the monument is obtained from the west, framed by the Napier Memorial Arch opposite the South African War Memorial. The memorial is part of a wider commemorative landscape along Marine Parade. Other commemorative structures include: 1897 Flood Heroism Memorial (1900); Swan Memorial Paddling Pool Shelter (1917); Napier War Memorial Conference Centre (1956, 1995); Tom Parker Fountain (1936); Pania of the Reef sculpture (1954); and the Napier Memorial Arch and colonnades (1937) along the Napier Soundshell’s boundary. Sited in a pedestrian area beside a closed off section of Herschell Street, the memorial sits in a paved area and is lit at night by ornamental lamps. The South African War Memorial is adjacent to the 1936 Masonic Hotel. Directly to the north of the memorial, a grassed area with a couple of large trees extends to the intersection with Tennyson Street. Within the grassed area is the 2014 bronze sculpture ‘The Gold of the Kowhai’ and an old naval cannon. The memorial sits on a concrete plastered base, similar in form to the original stepped base which was replaced in 1947 when the memorial was relocated to its present site. Cracks and scars in the stone from the 1931 earthquake and 1947 restoration efforts are evident on the statuary and the plinth. The memorial’s base is an abbreviated wedge-shape; a short end faces north and two longer sides extend from this to the south, before angling inwards. The front of the monument faces south. It is probably a similar height to the original base, being around 1.7 metres high. The original inscribed marble tablets with the list of soldiers are attached to the base, fixed to all sides except the two angled sides at the front, and the front face. On the latter are attached: the original dedication stone marking the 1906 unveiling of the monument; a dedication tablet for the inscriptions; a rededication tablet from 1947; and a metal centenary plaque from 1999. The original 10 marble plaques list 267 soldiers from the area who volunteered to serve in South Africa, their respective contingent (from the first to tenth contingents), and their rank. Eight of those listed are noted as having died. The extent of this inscription is not replicated in many other monuments from the era, in that it lists all soldiers who served from a wide catchment in the district, not solely those who had died. The original 1906 dedication tablet relating to the list of names reads: ‘These tablets were erected by the people of Hawke's Bay to commemorate the part taken by Troopers from this district in the South African War 1899-1902, and as a tribute to Patriotism shown by them in offering their services in the Empire's Cause’. The second dedication tablet from 1947 is inscribed: ‘This monument was shattered by the earthquake in February 1931 and was re-erected by the Citizens of Napier in February 1947’. A commemorative plaque was attached in 1999 by the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association, and it reads: ‘This plaque commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first deployment of New Zealand Forces overseas. On the 21st October 1898, the first contingent of 215 men and 250 horses left Queens [sic] Wharf, Wellington aboard the SS Waiwera for the South African War. 21 October 1999’. Interpreting iconography and inscriptions Reflecting on the historical context for the construction of the South African War Memorial, the iconography and inscriptions are a product of the times. The sentiments expressed in relation to the commissioning and dedicating of Napier’s memorial align with the national zeitgeist and social context of the day. They are indicative of local civic aspirations and are a very public and enduring testament to broader social mores. These memorials were very much: ‘...an interpretation of social memory that has been used to reinforce accepted social values and attitudes, with the purpose of ordering and educating society’. The form of the monument has much in common with funerary memorials, although the scale is grander as befits a significant civic monument. The iconography on the monument reveals common design elements strongly suggesting unity with Britain and Empire. Atop the base, near the front sits a marble lion holding a shield. The term in heraldry for this position is ‘lion sejant’ or sitting on its haunches. Two modern up-lights flank the lion. The shield with flags in relief, echoes the sentiments of Britishness (the lion itself and the oak branch behind the flags) and triumph (potentially the bay branch behind the flags). The main bluestone plinth sits behind the lion. At the top of this there are a moulded flower motif and a band of ribbon through which loop swags of bay laurel garland, extending around all four sides. This is common symbolism honouring a triumphant hero. The flower may be dogwood, representing divine sacrifice. The marble trooper completes the monument. It is over life-size, and stands in period military uniform and arms (gun). As is common with large statuary a tree stump has been carved into the lower part of the statue to provide stability. The trooper statue was the most common statue design for South African War memorials. However, the attitude of the trooper on Napier’s South African War Memorial, with his gun reversed and head bowed in mourning, is different from the other memorials.