Iconic Sir Michael Jones statue at Eden Park faces controversial sale

An iconic Eden Park statue commemorating one of New Zealand’s most historic tries could be removed from the stadium grounds.

That is the fear of Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner after liquidators put the statue up for sale, offering it as “a symbol of sporting excellence and national pride.”

The statue depicts Sir Michael Jones scoring the first-ever Rugby World Cup try in the 1987 tournament opener against Italy at Eden Park. The artwork was created by Natalie Stamilla and was based on a picture of the famous moment taken by Stamilla’s father, Geoff Dale. It was unveiled in 2011.

The idea of the sculpture leaving Eden Park has caused a stir in the New Zealand rugby community, and Sautner has issued several public appeals to potential buyers to keep it on stadium grounds.

“We’ve known about this for approximately five years, and we have been trying to work with the liquidator to ensure that the statue does remain at Eden Park. That is the critical point,” he told Scotty Stevenson on Sport Nation.

“This is a monument not only to Eden Park, but also to New Zealand’s identity. So we are hopeful that, with any offer, people can reach out to me. Because we want to ensure that the Sir Michael Jones statue stays at its rightful place, our national stadium.”

The bronze, 4.2m-long statue had an estimated original cost of $330,000, and while Sautner says the current evaluation is likely to be less than that, attempts by Eden Park to purchase it were unsuccessful. Sautner added that Eden Park would be open to working with a party on an offer for the statue.

“The conversation in the initial days was whether or not it was on permanent loan to Eden Park or if its ownership had been transferred,” he explained. “There was much conversation and debate…

“We have up to 1000 people per week coming on our tour program, and they all end up at the Dave Gallagher statue and the Sir Michael Jones statue. We must have this statue remain at Eden Park.”

As it stands, there is no requirement for the statue to remain at Eden Park, with CBL Insurance Limited engaging Gordon Brothers to handle the sale.

“Whether it be a ruby lover in France who thinks it would look nice in their front garden, there is the risk that someone would purchase it and take it off-site,” Sautner said.

“We know the metal value is minimal, it’s more just the historic value and the sentiment that it brings to our national stadium; the fortress of Eden Park.”