| Statue of Dame Whina Cooper | |
| Artist: | Jimi Hills |
| Type: | bronze |
| Imperial Unit: | ft |
| Metric Unit: | m |
| City: | Panguru, New Zealand |
The Statue of Dame Whina Cooper is located in Panguru, New Zealand, and honours the life of Dame Whina Cooper, a Māori leader and land rights activist.[1]
The statue was commissioned by the New Zealand Government and was created by Jimi Hills, of Ngāti Porou, Tūhoe and Te Whānau a Upokorehe. It is based on a well-known photograph by Michael Tubberty showing Dame Whina holding the hand of her three-year-old granddaughter Irenee Cooper as the pair left the settlement of Te Hāpua at the start of the 1100-kilometre 1975 Māori land march.[2]
The statue is located in front of Waipuna Marae in the small north Hokianga settlement of Panguru. It was unveiled on 2 February 2020 by Dame Whina's son Joe Cooper and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.