On 5th March 2026, the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board released the summary of results of the consultation on installing the Statue of Peace at Barrys Point Reserve. 

Thank you to the 278 individuals and five organisations who submitted in support of the Statue. This is in addition to the nearly 1000 people and 25+ organisations who signed our open letter in support of the Statue in 2025, prior to the consultation opening.

Auckland Council received 673 submissions on the proposed Statue of Peace at Barrys Point Reserve. The headline of 57% opposition and 43% support will get circulated without context. But details, like the deep truths of difficult histories, are where the real story lives.

Pākehā and Māori submitters, broadly, got it. They connected this statue to something they already understand about Aotearoa, that acknowledging historical harm isn't divisive. Avoiding it is. They described the installation as consistent with our social values of respect, compassion, and accountability. Not as something imported from overseas, but as something that reflects who we say we are.

Across the board, including among opponents, a majority said it was very important that the historical context be clearly explained on-site. Even people who didn't want the statue wanted the history told. That tells you something.

We will continue to stand with the survivors 

The wishes and legacy of the survivors of Japanese military sexual slavery are central to our campaign, and as with all gender-based violence, we strongly push back against the idea that we need to “remain neutral” in our response to it. Furthermore, the painful but important history of which the Statue reminds us, is one of the most well-documented instances of wartime sexual slavery in modern history. The facts are not in question, even if there are those who wish to deny it.

When we call that testimony "contested," we are doing something specific and harmful. We are asking survivors to prove, again, that what happened to them actually happened. Anyone who has ever supported a friend through a police report, a family court hearing, or just trying to be believed by the people closest to her knows exactly what that costs.

That's not a "both sides" situation. It is a pattern of denial, and one Aotearoa is not immune to.

The shame in this story does not belong to the women; the girls who are now grandmothers who spent their lives building a movement so the truth wouldn't die with them. If shame belongs anywhere, it's for how long it takes institutions to catch up to what communities already know.

We won't pretend this process has been without its challenges. But to have nearly a thousand people sign our open letter, many of them before this was even a public conversation, is solidarity in the making. That doesn't happen by accident, and we don't carry it lightly. Every single one of those signatures represents someone who looked at this kaupapa and said yes, without being asked twice. That kind of trust is not something we can take for granted. We're using this time to reflect, to grow, and to make sure that the support you gave us early and freely becomes the foundation for what comes next.

What happens next:

• Auckland Council will hold a workshop on 10 March to consider the consultation findings, with intention of making a final decision in April. We will keep you updated as that process unfolds.

• In the coming days, we'll be sharing resources on how communities around the world have used participatory art to hold space for survivors' truths and what that looks like here in Aotearoa.

• In the meantime, our Instagram and website have talking points, background reading, and educational resources if you want to go deeper or have conversations in your own networks.