Abel Tasman Monument
The Abel Tasman Monument is a memorial to the first recorded contact between Europeans—led by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman—and Māori in New Zealand's Golden Bay on 18 and 19 December 1642. It was unveiled on the tercentenary of the encounter by the prime minister, several government ministers, and a Dutch delegation. The monument, originally referred to as the Abel Tasman Memorial, was designed by the architect Ernst Plischke as an abstracted sail, and consists of a large concrete monolith painted white. Located on a bluff at Tarakohe just east of Pōhara, the land for the monument was gifted by the Golden Bay Cement Company. The dignitaries opened the Abel Tasman National Park the following day and the area holding the monument is part of the national park. As was typical for the 1940s, the original inscription focused on the European experience only and overlooked the Māori perspective, demonstrating Western-centric systemic bias. Historical context The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman first encountered New Zealand (Aotearoa), which he named Staten Landt, on 13 December 1642. Tasman was in the service of the Dutch East India Company, a corporation with quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, negotiate treaties, and establish colonies.