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And this is the inscription on the Memorial. It reads:

Richard William Pearse
1877 - 1953
New Zealand's Pioneer Aviator

This Monument commemorates the first
powered flight to be made by a British
citizen in a heavier than air machine.

Most evidence indicates this flight
took place on 31st March 1903 and
ended by crashing on this site.

As with anything arrived at by committee, the wording on this plaque leaves something to be desired. For example, referring to Richard Pearse as a 'pioneer' is inappropriate. Yes, he was, arguably, an early aviator, but certainly not a pioneering one.

BTW, in the plaque's context, the term British means someone who is a citizen of the British Empire, not the current meaning it has of being someone who is a citizen of Great Britain. 

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