May 25, 2023
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei marks formative occupation
Several hundred protest veterans and the generations who followed have come together to mark the end of the occupation of Takaparawhau, Bastion Point, 45 years ago today.
Radio Waatea producer Hineani Melbourne says this morning’s service was a chance to remember those no longer alive, including protest leader Joe Hawke who died about this time last year, and Joannee Hawke, who lost her life in a fire during the occupation.
She says the occupation set Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei on a course into history.
“And I’m just so proud of Ngāti Whātua, where they’ve come from in the last 45 years. You can hear te reo Māori around us. At the time of the occupation very few actually spoke Māori themselves, although their kaumatua and kuia came up to support them,” Ms Melbourne says.