[0:00]And we've got to control our immigration. We can't let a a flood come here and swamp us and swamp our economy.
[0:13]Even though we're living with these white people, but do they really like us?
[0:23]During the economic boom in the 1950s, New Zealand encouraged significant migration from Polynesia and viewed Pacific peoples as a source of cheap labour. New Zealand was the promised land and for many, it was a source of income, education, and to support their families back home. It was a time of economic prosperity. However, with the downturn of the economy in the early 1970s, political and public attitudes turned against Pacific migrants leading to increased incidents of overt racism and racial hostility.
[1:09]Welcome to the unofficial capital of Polynesia, Auckland, of the thirty-two thousand islanders who live in this country. and estimated twenty thousand are concentrated in this one city, making it in fact, the largest Polynesian city in the world. When I came to New Zealand, I think it was around 11pm or nearly 11:30pm. I arrived in Auckland. This is my grandfather, and he was here in Auckland during the Dawn Raids. The man who sent my visa was waiting for me. He came and dropped me off to a house, a house filled with workers. And then one man yelled out, "there's some police out on the road" after he said that, everyone ran. there was a knock at the door, there were three policemen, and then he asked me and then I said, "no you can see all my bags, I just arrived tonight." They said, "you're lying" and then they arrested me. I gave myself up so that the others could get away. They took me and two other men and another police car arrived and took us to the police station and I got out of jail the next morning. They brought my passport and the police let me go. I didn't actually know anything about my father's story. And although I didn't experience the Dawn Raids, it wasn't until I was probably around like eighteen, nineteen that I heard about my father and how he was put into prison. On the day that he arrived into New Zealand, and it quite hit me, it quite hit me, it was a full to myself like we've been living in New Zealand my whole life and I had no idea what my parents had endured during that time.
[3:20]And it makes me um, just um, really thankful for the sacrifices that they had to go through in order for me and my kids to have a better life than them. Man: Who's these people from the Pacific Islands? I don't know them. We can't absorb them can we? What I mean is, they're human, the same as I am. Why not pour the money into them instead of bringing them here? We're having trouble accepting the Polynesians fast enough really. You know, we can't educate them. They're not used to our way of life, they don't know the language. Well I would say bring our British stock that we've all come from originally. British people? Why then? Yes, because we all belong there. We came from there, original, all our grandparents, so and so, let's keep to our own British stock. There was a meeting held in a town hall that I still recall. The hall was full of overstayers. And the lawyer Clive Edwards told us was, if you're an overstayer, think about your future here, because I don't know how I'm going to support you. But you all have a right to apply to Immigration New Zealand to live here.
[4:49]I felt like I was scared when they took me. I thought New Zealand was a good place because I had come here before (The Raids). It was a scary time for Pacific Islanders because of how they were treated. There wasn't a night that houses weren't being raided. That's why the police went around with the dogs because a lot of people ran. And the dogs chased them. They just stopped people on the road randomly. If their English was good then they wouldn't take them away. When I applied they told me I had to go back to Tonga, because I didn't have a good reason to stay here. I think it was in 76' or 77', maybe 78', there was an immigration amnesty for overstayers. And that's how I got my indefinite visa. Others got their permanent resident visa. 1973 was the worst year that they started looking for overstayers. When it came to 1974 it calmed down a bit. We got our residency in 1974. We got married in 1974 and we got our residency in our household. We were the only ones who got our residency. I've never been an overstayer, I've always had my visa's extended. Today I stand on behalf of the New Zealand government to offer a formal and unreserved apology for the discriminatory implementation of the Dawn Raids. I feel like it's just words, and I hope that this apology is more than just words. An apology is not just is not enough. Apologize and act on it. The only way that we can kind of accept each other here in New Zealand is that we actually need to understand and have empathy for each others experiences. And I remember like when the Dawn Raids apology came out and everyone was like, "oh, you know they don't need an apology." They don't need an apology. But like I said with my father, his introduction to New Zealand was being thrown into a jail. You know, it's just so unfair, unfair. And I think you know, like the apology, yeah apology, words are good but the experience that he had to endure, I don't think he would ever forget that. When I look at what happened in the past and what the police had done to people, it was a bad thing that they had done. When I look back at it, it was really bad.
[8:01]They only targeted coloured-skinned people, but there were plenty of white-skinned overstayers, but they were never targeted. Only brown-skinned people. Black or brown skinned people. It was just racist. Still today racism exists. There will never be harmony, although we all live together here, even though we live with these white people, but do they really like us?
[8:43]Growing up in New Zealand as a kid, I thought this was the perfect country. And that my family had never gone through any type of struggles and to find out that not only did they struggle back then, but the struggles had never ended. I first learnt about the Dawn Raids at school, but I was completely oblivious to the fact that my grandparents actually lived through it and experienced it. We're still being affected the impacts of the Dawn Raids right now, and that's why I chose to share my family's story to show the obstacles that my grandparents went through to give my family and I a better life than what they had. I will forever be grateful for the things that they did and provided for us in order to give us the opportunities that we have today. Through hardship to glory. Malo 'Aupito (Thank you).
