This year marks 250 years since Captain James Cook first visited in New Zealand and the Government is spending millions of dollars to commemorate his arrival. But the anniversary has provoked a fierce debate over Cook’s true legacy – an intrepid explorer or a murderous invader?
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the first visit to New Zealand by Captain James Cook. Unfortunately history has not covered Cook’s skills as an astronomer particularly well so the importance of his observations of the transit of Venus in 1769 have often been overlooked. Cook and the crew of the Endeavour contributed to the measuring of one of the most important constants in astronomy, one that gave 18th century astronomers an understanding of the scale of the known universe.
MEDIA RELEASE – 22 Jan 2019 – Prime Minister, Minister for Communications and the Arts, Member for Leichardt.
Australia’s Morrison Government is backing communities across the country to mark the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook’s first voyage to Australia and the Pacific.
Commemorations marking the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s 1769 voyage to New Zealand start will start in March and are being expressed through music, storytelling, kapa haka, arts, and other cultural activities on the Coromandel. The national Tuia – 250 Encounters celebrates and recognises the connections made by the maori communities from Ngati Hei and Ngati Whanaunga to Captain Cook and his crew’s arrival.
In 2020, Australia will mark 250 years since James Cook’s arrival to Australian shores in 1770 with a circumnavigation of Australia on the replica ship HMB Endeavour. The initiative of the Australian National Maritime Museum will provide an opportunity to reflect on the significance of the voyage in Australia’s history, including the impact it has on Indigenous Australians.
In 2018, 250 years on from the Endeavour’s departure from Plymouth, it feels right to revisit Cook’s legacy, but with fresh eyes looking through different lenses. Over time, Cook has become a symbol, as much myth as man. Why? The National Library of Australia has long had a strong collecting interest in Cook’s voyages, offering rich pickings to investigate these questions. Yet Cook and the Pacific is its first full-scale, international exhibition about Cook.