A monumental day for the town renamed today as 'Meadsville' and for the legendary All Black affectionately known as Pinetree.

A 2.7 metre bronze statue has been unveiled this afternoon in Te Kuiti for Sir Colin Meads, the man acclaimed as New Zealand's rugby player of the 20th century.

Thousands of people turned up to the ceremony and were hugely excited to see the man himself, who made a rare appearance despite his ailing health.

The ceremony was led by Keith Quinn and included speeches from long time friend and Meads' captain Sir Brian Lochore as well as brother Stan Meads.

Sir Colin spoke briefly, saying there was no way to express his gratitude for everything today and that he was looking forward to a beer or two with his old teammates.