The Scott Statue commemorates Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott. The statue toppled off its plinth in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and broke in half; it was temporarily on display in the Christchurch Earthquake Museum in the City Mall. The Scott statue was reinstated in October 2017.
Christchurch was the New Zealand base for Captain Scott's Antarctic expeditions in 1901 and 1910. Scott reached the South Pole on 25 January 1912 but died on the return journey. The Christchurch City Council appealed for donations for a memorial and raised over £1,000. Lady Scott, Captain Scott's widow and a sculptor, modeled the statue and it was officially unveiled on 9 February 1917.The inscription reads: 'Robert Falcon Scott/Captain Royal Navy/Who died returning from the South Pole 1912/With A.E. Wilson, H.R. Bowers, L.E.G. Oates, E. Evans' and quotes Scott's farewell message: 'I do not regret this journey, which shows that Englishmen can endure hardships, help one another, and meet death with as great fortitude as ever in the past.'The statue is significant as one of a handful of statues worldwide, which commemorate Scott and were carved by his widow, Kathleen Scott. It is also important as a link to Christchurch's history as a base for Antarctic exploration. This continues today with the New Zealand, Italian and United States Antarctic bases at Christchurch airport.