100 signatures reached
To: Hamilton City Council
Update the Hamilton City Emblem!
We would like the Hamilton City Council to update the city's emblem so that it reflects the Council's commitment to Te Tiriti, which shows our city's history and that is something that we can be proud of.
Why is this important?
The current emblem was introduced in 1946 and represents the colonial history of our city as a settler military post in the 19th century. It does not align with the Treaty of Waitangi and Maaori representation in our current emblem is non-existent.
Our emblem does not depict any partnerships and the crown is the main overpowering feature in the emblem. It does not hold any in-depth cultural, metaphorical or traditional meanings and is an emblem that was introduced almost 100 years ago!!!
Kirikiriroa means 'long strip of cultivated land' and it represents the abundance of people who shared, took care, and lived off the land before colonisation. Gradually, like our city name or street names around our city Hamilton was overpowered by European settlers who made Kirikiriroa their own.
Updating our city emblem and discussing it's relevance is important because it currently represents and supports years of our city’s colonial, traumatic history where indigenous people had land taken, were oppressed, and even murdered.
Some people might think something small like an emblem doesn't matter, but the history and significance behind something so small has been the meaning of life or death for many.
Today, Hamilton is the youngest city in New Zealand and one of the most multicultural cities with more than 160 ethnicities. We are a vibrant young & developing city and we need an emblem that reflects this!
We want an emblem that we are proud of.
We want an emblem that we understand and can relate to.
We want an emblem that represents maaori, our city, and our diverse multicultural population.
We want our city emblem to represent 'Kirikiriroa'.
We want to have an emblem that we can share with pride!
Sign to call on our Council to update City Emblem! To be able to present the petition the Council requires over 150 signatures with postal addresses, to show signatories are residents. Your address will be supplied to Council but not be made public.