Thirty years ago, protesters faced off with 700 police, army, navy and the government over plans to develop Ngati Whatua ancestral land at Bastion Point, Auckland. On May 25, the protagonists met again to mark the 30th anniversary of that day in 1978 when 222 people were arrested in a massive show of force that has been called a defining moment in New Zealand history.
Leader of the 1977 protest, Joe Hawke, has never regretted the decision to occupy the land to stop the government from building high-rise housing at Bastion Point.
“I went onto the Point, not to invite an arrest, but to arrest a wrong, and 30 years on, all of Ngati Whatua are benefiting from that stand”, he said.
The anniversary commemorates that struggle, foster reconciliation and re-affirm Ngati Whatua’s footprint on the land in Auckland, including a Remembrance and Reconciliation Ceremony being hosted at Orakei Marae, led by former Governor-General Sir Paul Reeves.
Bastion Point events organizer Alec Hawke says the ceremony at the Marae will be open to all interested parties and especially those that played a part in the Bastion Point story.
“We hope to bring together those that were arrested, representatives of the Police, the Army and Government members of all parties, as well as many prominent Maori, Pakeha, and Pacific Islanders who played a role in supporting the Bastion Point occupation. For Ngati Whatua o Orakei it will be a re-dedication of our ties to the land in Tamaki-Makarau, a positive message of our successes and our place in Auckland today”, he said.
