The Twelve Local Heroes is a series of bronze

Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...

 busts

Bust (sculpture)

A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...

 located in the central city

Christchurch Central City

Christchurch Central City is the geographical centre and the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is defined as the area within the four avenues and thus includes the densely built up central city, some less dense surrounding areas of residential, educational and industrial usage, and green...

 of Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 on Worcester Boulevard outside the Arts Centre

Christchurch Arts Centre

The Christchurch Arts Centre is a hub for arts, crafts and entertainment in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located in the neo-gothic former University of Canterbury buildings, the majority of which were designed by Benjamin Mountfort...

 to commemorate twelve local Christchurch people who were prominent in their respective fields in the latter part of the 20th century.

History

The establishment of the commemorative sculptures was driven by the Twelve Local Heroes charitable trust. The project had been four years in the making before the bronze busts were unveiled on 18 March 2009. The artwork was produced by the sculptor Mark Whyte.

Local Heroes

The Twelve Local Heroes can be grouped by having died prior to the project commencing, by agreeing to be included but having since died, and by being alive.

Deceased prior to project start

	Name	Life years	Description
	Bill Sutton William A. Sutton William A. Sutton or Bill was a leading portraitist and landscape artist based in Christchurch, New Zealand. A graduate of the Canterbury College School of Art he returned there to teach for more than 30 years.He was tutored by many well-known Canterbury artists, including Colin Lovell-Smith and...	1917–2000	artist
	Elsie Locke Elsie Locke Elsie Violet Locke was a New Zealand writer, feminist and social activist. She was born Elsie Violet Farrelly in Waiuku.- Life :...	17 August 1912 – 8 April 2001	writer, feminist and social activist

Deceased since project start

	Name	Life years	Description
	Charles Luney Charles Luney Charles Seymour "Chas" Luney was a builder and company director. He is notable for the many important buildings that his company constructed in Christchurch, of which his favourite was Christchurch Town Hall. His professional career spanned 80 years.-Early life:Luney was born in Lyttelton. His...	1905–2006	building industry leader
	Sir Angus Tait Angus Tait Sir Angus Tait, KNZM, OBE was a New Zealand electronics innovator and businessman.Angus Tait had a childhood fascination for electronics and during and after high school at Waitaki Boys' High School, he worked in a friend's radio store...	22 July 1919 – 7 August 2007	electronics pioneer and businessman
	Sir Robertson Stewart	21 September 1913 – 13 August 2007	industrialist and exporter
	Professor Sir Donald Ward Beaven Don Beaven Professor Sir Donald Ward Beaven, KNZM, CBE was a New Zealand medical researcher in the area of diabetes treatment and prevention....	31 August 1924 – 4 November 2009	medical researcher in the area of diabetes treatment and prevention

Alive

	Name	Born	Description
	Frank Dickson		former Canterbury Savings Bank chief executive
	Sir Richard John Hadlee Richard Hadlee Sir Richard John Hadlee, MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer who played provincial cricket for Canterbury, Nottinghamshire and Tasmania. He is the son of Walter Hadlee, and the brother of Dayle and Barry Hadlee. His former wife Karen also played international cricket for New Zealand.Hadlee was...	3 July 1951	former cricketer
	Diana, Lady Isaac		conservation, arts and architecture benefactor
	Sir Tipene O'Regan Tipene O'Regan Sir Tipene O'Regan is a New Zealand academic and company director. Born Stephen Gerard O'Regan, son of Dr Rolland O'Regan and Rena Ruhia , he is a director of a wide range of South Island Maori enterprises...	1 January 1939	Māori leader
	Sir Miles Warren Miles Warren Sir Miles Warren, ONZ, KBE, FNZIA is New Zealand's foremost modern architect. He apprenticed under Cecil Wood before studying architecture at the University of Auckland, eventually working at the London County Council where he was exposed to British New Brutalism...	1929	architect
	Margaret Mahy Margaret Mahy Margaret Mahy ONZ is a well-known New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. While the plots of many of her books have strong supernatural elements, her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growing up.Her books The Haunting and The Changeover: A Supernatural...	21 March 1936	author of children's and young adult books