The Dawn Raids

In 2021 a team of artists celebrated links between the Polynesian Panthers and the American Black Panthers. The result was a large, colourful and collaborative mural. Whakaako mural collective includes Emory Douglas, Huriana Kopeke-Te Aho, Huma MacKenzie, Toa Taihia, Tigilau Ness, and Chris McBride.

The Māori student activist group, Nga Tamatoa (the young warriors), worked alongside the Polynesian Panthers in Auckland to highlight the plight of Māori and Pasifika peoples, and the realities of being brown in Auckland in the 1970s. Together they lobbied hard for improved resources and services for their people. Over the years, close relationships formed between members of the two groups. They had a common purpose, to change racist attitudes, promote human rights, and work towards self-determination. In this photograph from 1972, members of Nga Tamatoa sit on the steps of Parliament in Wellington. hey undertook a sit-in on Parliament grounds for 3 weeks, living in tents.

Protest for the repeal of the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act of 1982

Falema’i Lesa, a Samoan woman living in New Zealand, petitioned the Privy Council in England to be granted citizenship here. In 1982 this resulted in the Council not only granting her citizenship but also deciding that New Zealand citizenship should be given to all Western Samoans born here after 1924. However, the New Zealand government did not agree with this decision, as they were still actively engaged in deporting people from Western Samoa and discouraging more immigration from the Pacific Islands as a whole. They introduced an Act which only allowed citizenship for Western Samoans living here from 14 September 1982 onwards or those who obtained permanent residence after that date.

I said WOGS not dogs!

This cartoon appeared in the National Business Review in 1976 during the height of the dawn raids and the racist slanders towards Pasifika peoples. It depicts the New Zealand Minister of Immigration reproaching a policeman who has captured dogs instead of 'wogs'. ‘Wogs’ was a slang term which referred to all Pasifika peoples, no matter where they originated from. At the time, overstayers from the Pacific Islands made up a small proportion of the total, with most originating from Europe and Australia. This cartoon shows the prevailing attitude towards Pasifika people at this time.

Ana Likio at her home in Waitangirua, surrounded by luggage

The original Evening Post caption for this photograph reads: "Anna Likio at the family's Waitangirua home surrounded by the luggage they had to leave behind. A family of Tongan overstayers deported from Porirua were forced to leave most of their belongings behind in the rush." Ana and her family were deported from New Zealand in 1991. Many Pasifika people arrived in New Zealand under quota schemes in the 1960s and 70s. Sometimes people overstayed their temporary visas, which was ignored until the job market changed and there wasn’t enough work to go around.