News

Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull has mistakenly spent $3,900 of rate payer’s money on purchasing what he believed to be leg irons used to hold Maori prisoners in the Victorian Era.

Cull told Critic the DCC discovered the auction when it was published in the Otago Daily Times, along with an image of Kevin Haywards, owner of Hayward’s Auction House, holding the shackles. Cull said he was also contacted by local Runanga representatives and “alerted to the significance and sensitivity of the items to the descendants of the Taranaki people who were imprisoned in Dunedin.”

Further investigation by Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, where the artifact was supposed to be displayed, indicated that this was false. Staff concluded that the iron shackles have no significance to Taranaki Maori and are in no way connected to historical Maori imprisonment. Although the use of the shackles has not yet been proven, the report by Toitū staff advised that the shackles would instead fit the leg of a camel or a horse.

The mistake has caused an outcry from New Zealanders, and the DCC is under fire for the waste of ratepayer’s money. Critic spoke with Jordan Williams, Executive Director of the New Zealand Tax Payers Union, who believes “Mr Cull has some form in being fast and loose with rate payers money.” He said “Mr Cull should do the decent thing and refund ratepayers for his silly excursion.” He added, “[Cull] should leave it to the experts and not blame the vendor.”

Cull, however, says he does not regret the purchase and “did so for good reasons and on the balance of evidence at the time.” He believes the purchase, which prompted research into the origin of the shackles, has benefited the Dunedin Community. Cull said, “We have actually uncovered quite a bit of information that before was the subject of conjecture.” He explains that some people believed Maori prisoners were held in the cave, however “this is apparently not the case.” Cull also added that “this episode may be the prompt for further historical research and the very positive story about the relationship between Taranaki Maori and Dunedin may get to be better told.”

In regards to whether or not the mistaken shackles will still be displayed in the Otago Settlers Museum, Cull has said he is “not sure what will happen” from this point onwards.