Dunedin's famed Captain Cook Hotel to be renamed after colonisation protests

Captain Cook Hotel. Photo / Otago Daily Times

Dunedin's famed Captain Cook Hotel will be renamed.

A post on the venue's Facebook page, believed to be from operator Mike McLeod, last night outlined the reasons for changing the name, saying Captain Cook was a symbol of colonisation and oppression.

"Because people are hurting, and I didn't do this to ostracise and hurt people, I didn't want to remind people of oppression and suffering when they came to the venue.

"I wanted people to have fun, and I wanted the space to make some kind of positive difference to the community."

McLeod said people had suggested he change the name when he first took over the business.

"I'm no hero for taking two years to understand what they were saying."

It was unclear what the new name of the business would be and McLeod did not respond to a request for comment last night.

The Captain Cook Hotel opened in 1860, and later became a well-known music venue and watering hole for the city's university students.

It closed in 2013 but reopened in 2018 under operator McLeod.

Last year, the gastro-pub venture on the ground floor closed when New Zealand-based pizza franchise Sal's took over the lease.

McLeod continues to operate the live music venue upstairs.