[2] Whilst the career of George Grey was marked by controversy, he later gained recognition as an iconic elder statesman.

Grey's death was met with a public outpouring of grief, which included closed shops and "a long procession of carnages and vehicles.

"[5] The New Zealand Herald anticipated that the unveiling of the Grey Statue would serve as a final tribute, reporting:The unveiling of the Grey Statue may be looked forward to as the closing scene, when Aucklanders will doubtless again turn out en masse, to pay their final tribute of respect to the memory of the greatest statesman who has swayed the destiny of this young colony, irrespective of faction or party.

[5]In 1898, Auckland's Mayor Peter Dignan formed the Sir George Grey Statue Committee, chaired by F.E.

The statue's opening ceremony included chiefs of the Ngāpuhi, Hauraki, Rotorua, Waikato Tainui and Ngāti Whātua iwi.

The statue, as it stands today, was described by the Dunstan Times as:The "good Governor," standing with his right leg slightly advanced, is in the ordinary frock coat of civilian garb, above which he wears an overcoat thrown open; his right arm is akimbo, his left, stretched at his side, holds a scroll.

Māori chiefs present at the opening remarked that they were 'pleased with the honourable recognition of Sir George Grey.

After the statue's decapitation, Māori academic Ranginui Walker described Grey as the 'hitman of colonisation' who deserved to 'get his head knocked off.