Nixon Monument (2 Piki Thompson Way)

The garden at the intersection of Māngere Road and Great South Road is home to the Nixon Monument—one of only a handful of memorials erected during the period of the New Zealand Wars from 1843 to 1872, and the only one erected for a local commander. The monument commemorates Colonel Marmaduke George Nixon, first Member of Parliament for Franklin County, as well as Corporals Edward McHale, Horatio Alexander, and Thomas Little, all of whom died from wounds received at the fight at Rangiaowhia on 21 February 1864.

Since 2017, monument has been at the centre of debate due to the controversial nature of the raid, where Nixon’s forces invaded the unfortified settlement in a one-sided attack and caused the death of Māori women and children. As the monument currently only commemorates the losses on one side of the conflict, the Mayoral Office stated its intention to ensure both sides of the story would be told, to give proper context to the events of the past and to remember all people who were affected.

Continue to the next monument within this small park.