A new future between Pacific Aotearoa and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei will be at the heart of a Dawn Raids Apology anniversary event in Auckland this month, Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio said today.
One year ago, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern formally apologised to Pacific communities impacted by the Dawn Raids in the 1970s. During the cultural exchanges after the ceremony, the chair and elders of Ngati Whatua Orakei offered to host the first year’s anniversary of the Dawn Raid’s Apology.
On Saturday, 27 August, Pacific leaders and communities and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei will congregate at Ōrākei Marae in Auckland to commemorate the Dawn Raids and celebrate the strengthening of kinship ties between Pacific Peoples of Aotearoa and tangata whenua.
“The concept for the celebration of the one-year anniversary of the Dawn Raids Apology is an opportunity to reflect, celebrate and look to the future through an open and transparent cultural celebratory platform,” said Minister Sio.
“Pacific peoples, Māori and other ethnic communities were specifically targeted and racially profiled during the Dawn Raids, which was wrong and should have never happened.
“At the heart of today’s event design and delivery will be our Polynesian cultural values, our traditional intellectual knowledge and experiences, our many languages and our collective aspirations for an inclusive culturally enriching future for Aotearoa New Zealand, and for our children and their children.”
As part of the event, there will be a formal ceremony celebrating the round one recipients of the Teu le Va – Dawn Raids History Community Fund.
Round two of the fund will be officially opened at the event.
The Minister said he hoped the event will encourage ongoing discussion between Māori and Pacific on strengthening our whanaungataga ties as peoples of the vast Blue Pacific Continent, and working together to shape the future of Aotearoa New Zealand that is free from racism and discrimination.
“The coming together of Government, Pacific communities and Ngāti Whātua to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Dawn Raids apology symbolises the past, present and future journey of Pacific in Aotearoa,” he said.
