A statue of Captain Cook, erected in 1769, in New Zealand’s Gisborne will be removed and relocated following protests by the Maori community which says its ancestors arrived there long before the famous British explorer, reported The Guardian. The statue of Cook has been repeatedly vandalised with red paint smeared on its face and coat. Critics have described Cook, who landed in the area aboard HMS Endeavour in 1769, as a “murderer” and “crooked Cook”.

Tensions are high in the city as the 250th anniversary of Cook’s landing is only a year away. The Gisborne district council on Monday announced that the statue will be moved to the Tairawhiti Museum. It also added that hill where the Cook’s statue was erected, will now be adorned with “the tribal stories and cultural design elements can be shared from this significant location”.

Discussions are also underway in the Gisborne region for Poverty Bay – so named by Cook in 1769 – to be replaced by its Maori name.

According to The Guardian, the Ngati Oneone tribe has also long opposed having the controversial statue of Cook placed on the sacred mountain of Titirangi. A local councillor also said that the removal of the statue would allow a more nuanced and “honest” story about New Zealand’s history to emerge.