Last of the Just
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DescriptionThe Last of the Just (Prisoner)
A concrete sculpture by Molly Macalister
While perhaps not a household name like her friend Colin McCahon, many people are unknowingly familiar with Molly Macalister’s work. You may have seen her piece “Māori Chief”, a tall bronze sculpture at the bottom of Queen Street in Auckland facing the Ferry Building, or “Little Bull”, her large bronze bull resting outside the Victorian Flower Garden at Hamilton Gardens. These public works are striking in their own right, but perhaps more impressive is Macalister’s determination to be an artist in a time when New Zealand art was undervalued and female sculptors were extremely rare.
The Last of the Just was the first artwork ever acquired by the University of Waikato Art Collection, predating the University's official establishment. It originally stood outside A Block—one of the first university buildings—but was later relocated to overlook the lake, offering a more reflective and private setting appropriate for the sensitivity of its subject matter. The piece is not meant to discomfort, but rather to serve as a visual antithesis to the University, inviting reflection on justice and human dignity.
Its story began in 1960, when Hamilton artist Jean Fairburn visited Macalister in Takapuna and saw the sculpture in progress. She suggested it come to Hamilton. At the time, the university was still the Hamilton branch of the University of Auckland. Lecturer Paul Day, moved by the sculpture's commentary on political oppression in Hungary, pledged to raise the funds for its purchase. Staff and students collectively raised eighty pounds—thirty of which came from the sale of the University of Auckland’s Capping Magazine in Hamilton. Their intent was to acquire a piece of art that symbolised the cutting off of freedoms cherished within a university setting.
The Last of the Just – Prisoner depicts a mutilated human form, representing Hungary after its occupation by the Soviet Union. After World War II, Hungary was thrust into political and economic instability. In 1956, protests led by students evolved into a large peaceful movement demanding democracy and freedom. The USSR responded on November 4 by sending in thousands of soldiers and tanks to crush the uprising. The West sympathised but failed to act.
Macalister, whose husband was a Hungarian emigrant, channeled this story—and the West's passive response—into her sculpture. The figure evokes a visceral sense of suffering and silent strength, pleading for empathy. Over one and a half metres tall, the armless figure kneels, head bowed, body twisted as if crumpling from exhaustion. And yet, it remains upright, barely, in the face of overwhelming oppression. It doesn’t let us look away. It urges us to engage, reflect, and strive for justice.CreatorMolly Macalistair
A concrete sculpture by Molly Macalister
While perhaps not a household name like her friend Colin McCahon, many people are unknowingly familiar with Molly Macalister’s work. You may have seen her piece “Māori Chief”, a tall bronze sculpture at the bottom of Queen Street in Auckland facing the Ferry Building, or “Little Bull”, her large bronze bull resting outside the Victorian Flower Garden at Hamilton Gardens. These public works are striking in their own right, but perhaps more impressive is Macalister’s determination to be an artist in a time when New Zealand art was undervalued and female sculptors were extremely rare.
The Last of the Just was the first artwork ever acquired by the University of Waikato Art Collection, predating the University's official establishment. It originally stood outside A Block—one of the first university buildings—but was later relocated to overlook the lake, offering a more reflective and private setting appropriate for the sensitivity of its subject matter. The piece is not meant to discomfort, but rather to serve as a visual antithesis to the University, inviting reflection on justice and human dignity.
Its story began in 1960, when Hamilton artist Jean Fairburn visited Macalister in Takapuna and saw the sculpture in progress. She suggested it come to Hamilton. At the time, the university was still the Hamilton branch of the University of Auckland. Lecturer Paul Day, moved by the sculpture's commentary on political oppression in Hungary, pledged to raise the funds for its purchase. Staff and students collectively raised eighty pounds—thirty of which came from the sale of the University of Auckland’s Capping Magazine in Hamilton. Their intent was to acquire a piece of art that symbolised the cutting off of freedoms cherished within a university setting.
The Last of the Just – Prisoner depicts a mutilated human form, representing Hungary after its occupation by the Soviet Union. After World War II, Hungary was thrust into political and economic instability. In 1956, protests led by students evolved into a large peaceful movement demanding democracy and freedom. The USSR responded on November 4 by sending in thousands of soldiers and tanks to crush the uprising. The West sympathised but failed to act.
Macalister, whose husband was a Hungarian emigrant, channeled this story—and the West's passive response—into her sculpture. The figure evokes a visceral sense of suffering and silent strength, pleading for empathy. Over one and a half metres tall, the armless figure kneels, head bowed, body twisted as if crumpling from exhaustion. And yet, it remains upright, barely, in the face of overwhelming oppression. It doesn’t let us look away. It urges us to engage, reflect, and strive for justice.CreatorMolly Macalistair
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Kaitiakitanga StatementWe ask that, in addition to normal copyright and privacy considerations, users of our taonga and resources uphold the mana and dignity of the people, communities and places depicted or referred to within.CopyrightUniversity of Waikato
Relates To
Other ItemsUniversity of Waikato Sculpture Trail
Molly Macalistair, Last of the Just. University of Waikato, accessed 18/02/2026, https://onehera.waikato.ac.nz/nodes/view/10640