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The first anniversary of the Dawn Raids’ apology has been marked by a dawn ceremony at Auckland’s Orakei Marae.
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the apology for the trauma, hurt and pain Pacific and Māori experienced from the racist and discriminatory immigration enforcement policies of the 1970s was intended to usher in a period of healing.
It was also the start of a process to collectively address the harms caused by racism and discrimination in society generally.
The ceremony concluded with the announcement of scholarship award recipients for the Ministry of Education’s Tuli Takes Flight Fund and the launch of round two of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples’ Teu Le Va Dawn Raids History Community Fund, which provides funding to enable Pacific communities to share their experiences of the Dawn Raids.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei chair Marama Royal says the commemoration was a symbol of strength and unity between tangata whenua and Pacific people across Tāmaki Makaurau, and Aoteraroa.
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