A historian says calls to relocate a colonial memorial in Mangere are misguided.

The Nixon Memorial commemorates Colonel Marmaduke George Nixon, who commanded the Colonial Defence Force Cavalry during the Waikato War of 1863 and 1864.

Activist Shane Te Pou says the memorial embodies the worst of colonial brutality, and he's launched a petition to have it moved to Auckland Museum

But AUT professor Paul Moon says the memorial's an important reminder of our past.

"We're a completely different society now. We can look at that really as a milestone, and say we've travelled so far socially and culturally since then, that there's no risk of us falling back into that mindset."

"Either you accept this is the intricate nature of our country's history, or you try to just cleanse it by removing every sight of something you disagree with."

Colonel Marmaduke George Nixon was an early settler in south Auckland and the Franklin Member of the House of Representatives who commanded the Colonial Defence Force Cavalry during the invasion.

He died on May 27, 1864 from wounds suffered in a battle with Maori three months earlier.

Te Pou said while the memorial stood in tribute to the cavalrymen who perished, the spilling of Maori blood went unmentioned.

"Nixon pursued Maori as prey, including the women and children who died during his notorious and deadly attack on Rangiaowhia," he said. He described Nixon as "a man who embodies the worst of colonial brutality".

Additional reporting from NZ Newswire