The damaged statue of Antarctic explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott will be restored, almost 100 years on from its original unveiling.
Capt Scott led two explorations in Antarctica and died during the second, as he returned from the South Pole in 1912 with four others.
New Zealand's research base on the ice is named for him and the Christchurch-based statue is hoped to be restored by the start of the 2017 Antarctic season.
The statue was badly damaged in the 2011 earthquake, snapping at its ankles. Its restoration is expected to start in May, after repair strategies are tested on a mock-up of one of the legs.
Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel says the Scott Statue is an important monument not just in New Zealand, but across the globe.
"Due to the fragile nature of marble and the angle of the break, risks are associated with any repair," she says.
"At this stage, we're confident of a good result with the innovative repair design."
The statue was placed on temporary display in the foyer of Canterbury Museum in 2016.
"The Scott statue has been an important part of the Christchurch streetscape for almost a century and is a very tangible reminder of the region's links with the Antarctic and the heroic age of exploration and discovery of the great white southern continent," museum director Anthony Wright said last year.
The Scott Statue was sculpted by his widow, Kathleen, and carries an inscription from Capt Scott's diary, reading: "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."
It was one of three statues severely damaged in the 2011 earthquake, both of which have now been restored.
Newshub.
