February 25, 2021
Dawn raid memories show country’s progress
New Zealand's racist immigration policies of the 1970s have been spotlighted as part of an Auckland Arts Festival programme marking the 50th anniversary of the Polynesian Panthers.
The exhibition Dawn Raids Educate to Liberate opened last night at Studio One Toi Tū at the start of Ponsonby Rd.
It features original artworks, memorabilia and photographs from the dawn raid era, and, historical perspectives of the events drawn from the research and personal interviews undertaken by Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith, the author of the award-winning book My New Zealand Story: Dawn Raid.
Polynesian Panthers founding member Tigilau Ness says the exhibits and especially the photographs by John Miller bring back an era that for some New Zealanders seemed closer to what was happening in Apartheid South Africa.
"Just to see that part of our history, the country's history and our involvement with it, those are memories and milestones of where we have come and how far we have come as a country," he says.
The exhibition runs until March 25 and includes screenings of two New Zealand documentaries, Dawn Raids (2005) and Polynesian Panthers (2010).
An in-depth public talk will be held at the gallery on Friday 12 March, with guest speakers Pauline Smith and Polynesian Panthers founding members Tigilau Ness, Dr Melanie Anae and Rev. Alec Toleafoa.
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