# Ernest Rutherford memorial

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Statue of Ernest Rutherford marking his birthplace in Brightwater, New Zealand

Ernest Rutherford memorial Artist Paul Walshe Year 1991 Subject Ernest Rutherford Location Brightwater, New Zealand 41°22′38″S 173°06′06″E / 41.3772°S 173.1018°E / -41.3772; 173.1018

The **Ernest Rutherford memorial** includes a statue of the [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand) scientist [Ernest Rutherford](/source/Ernest_Rutherford), who won the [Nobel Prize in Chemistry](/source/Nobel_Prize_in_Chemistry) in 1908. It depicts Rutherford as a child, and is located near his birthplace in [Brightwater](/source/Brightwater), New Zealand.[1] The sculptor was Paul Walshe of [Monaco](/source/Monaco%2C_New_Zealand).[2] The memorial also includes a mound surrounded by terraces with plants and trees from places where he worked: Canada, England and New Zealand. It cost $400,000 and was opened in 1991.

## History

The idea for having a memorial for Rutherford was brought up in a meeting of October 1981. Initially, the plan was to create a statue of an atom, but it was scrapped after the thought that it could become the site of an anti-nuclear protest.[3]

The Waimea District Council allocated $12,000 for landscaping and building walls for the memorial. There was a delay because part of the land used for the memorial was not owned by the council. The owner did not transfer the land to public ownership in time due to a dispute.[3]

By early 1988, the memorial still consisted only of a chipped concrete slab with a plaque. Writing in *[The Nelson Mail](/source/The_Nelson_Mail)* on 23 February 1988, John Campbell of [University of Canterbury](/source/University_of_Canterbury)'s physics department called this state of affairs a "national disgrace", saying that while there was no danger Rutherford, who lived on through his work in science, would be forgotten, New Zealand and the region needed to properly commemorate their famous native son.[3]

The plan for the current design of the memorial was approved in late 1988. The memorial was opened on 6 December 1991 by Governor-General Dame [Catherine Tizard](/source/Catherine_Tizard); its total cost was $400,000. Guests of the opening included Rutherford's grandchildren.[3]

In the early morning on 5 August 2022 the statue was stolen. Footage from [CCTV](/source/Closed-circuit_television) showed a man who had tied a rope around the statue and rocked it back and forth until it snapped about half an hour later.[2] It was taken away by bicycle,[2] and was brought back by police two days later after it was found in an attic.[4][5]

## Other statues of Rutherford

There is a statue depicting Rutherford splitting the atom in [Qingpu](/source/Qingpu%2C_Shanghai) Statue Garden in [Shanghai](/source/Shanghai), China.[6]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Ernest Rutherford memorial, Brightwater"](https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/ernest-rutherford-memorial-brightwater). *nzhistory.govt.nz*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230906063825/https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/ernest-rutherford-memorial-brightwater) from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Hubbard_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Hubbard_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Hubbard_2-2) Hubbard, Catherine (6 August 2022). ["Statue theft by bike-riding thief leaves community 'disappointed and in disbelief'"](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/129499951/statue-theft-by-bikeriding-thief-leaves-community-disappointed-and-in-disbelief). *Stuff*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230906064024/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/129499951/statue-theft-by-bikeriding-thief-leaves-community-disappointed-and-in-disbelief) from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_3-3) ["Development of the Rutherford Memorial"](https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-NHSJ06_04-t1-body1-d6.html). *nzetc.victoria.ac.nz*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230906063604/https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-NHSJ06_04-t1-body1-d6.html) from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Townshend, Katie (8 August 2022). ["Statue of Lord Ernest Rutherford retrieved as accused thief runs into river"](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/129510845/statue-of-lord-ernest-rutherford-retrieved-as-accused-thief-runs-into-river). *Stuff*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230906064429/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/129510845/statue-of-lord-ernest-rutherford-retrieved-as-accused-thief-runs-into-river) from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Sivignon, Cherie (12 August 2022). ["Praise for quick police work to return Rutherford statue"](https://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/129548022/praise-for-quick-police-work-to-return-rutherford-statue). *[The Nelson Mail](/source/The_Nelson_Mail)*. Retrieved 29 October 2023 – via [Stuff](/source/Stuff_(website)).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Samways, Ana (13 May 2021). ["All too hard: Riffing off God creating Adam in the Sistine chapel"](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/sideswipe-may-13-all-too-hard/E5VVD7CQBHO63EX54EMAVUMFDE/). Sideswipe. *[The New Zealand Herald](/source/The_New_Zealand_Herald)*. Retrieved 29 October 2023.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ernest Rutherford memorial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Rutherford_memorial) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Rutherford_memorial?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.