On the eve of Waitangi Day,two men return to the place where they made a historic stand for race relations in New Zealand. Joseph Barratt meets them
Two men stand, looking across the water to Rangitoto. They laugh and joke about the past, their shared past. On the bare, silent grass on this sunny, breezy afternoon, they are a long, strange three decades from when this peaceful place became a battleground that changed the way New Zealand looks at race relations. For these two men, and hundreds of people across this country, Bastion Point changed their lives. Is still changing lives. The flashpoint came in January 1977, but the fire had been smouldering for almost a century. Its kindling lies in the founding of Auckland and relations between the British settlers, the colonial Government and Ngati Whatua of Orakei, the local hapu. Much of the original city encroached on Ngati Whatua land; the sewer pipe across Okahu Bay gave massive offence and destroyed their food source; but Kohimarama, or Bastion Pt, was to be the site of the tribe's last stand. Around 1860, Ngati Whatua gave neighbouring Takaparawhau Pt to the Government for a defence base overlooking Waitemata Harbour. It was not built there; in 1885, the Government used the Public Works Act to take Bastion Pt for the purpose. Ngati Whatua seethed with resentment for 60 years. In 1941, the Crown no longer needed Bastion Pt for defence. The land was not returned to its traditional owners but given to Auckland City Council for a reserve. In 1952, the few Ngati Whatua were evicted from their village at Okahu Bay; it, and their precious marae, was burned. Some were moved into state houses that had million dollar views. Their views: the Kitemoana St flats bordered Bastion Pt. In 1976, against Auckland City Council's wishes, Prime Minister Robert Muldoon announced his Government would sell Bastion Pt to the highest corporate bidder for highincome housing.
A FEW MONTHS later, the occupation began. Through nonstop television, radio and newspaper coverage, the 507-day occupation forced New Zealanders to think seriously about race relations. Bob Taite, an Australian, spent his first night in New Zealand at Bastion Pt and stayed for most of the occupation, camped on the land. "There was never a feeling that, as Pakeha, we were not welcome. They welcomed us on with open arms." Mr Taite had been involved in Aboriginal land rights campaigns in the 70s but had planned his New Zealand holiday without knowing about Bastion Pt. His then-partner's friends met him at the airport and drove him to the site. Having now made New Zealand his home, Mr Taite says he has seen how that stand has affected the country. "There had been small incidents before but this was the big one. There were some big achievements made after it." After the occupation, Ngati Whatua was the first claimant to have land returned under a Treaty of Waitangi settlement. Its people gave most of the land back to the council for a reserve. "I think that sent a strong message to people that it wasn't just about the money," says Mr Taite.
Like old comrades-in-arms, Mr Taite and Grant Hawke go off on tangents, talking about old friends. So what was gained, I ask Grant Hawke, chairman of Ngati Whatua o Orakei Trust Board, younger brother of Joe, the occupation leader. He smiles. "Even if people were arguing against us, at least they were thinking about it. It even educated a lot of Maori because it was talked about all the time." The occupation was both unifying and fragmenting. "It split many families among Maori who were against it, and it took a long time before the healing took place. "At the same time, it brought a large cross-section of people together. There were anti-nuclear, anti- Vietnam, pro-black rights, environmental, socialist groups. All of them were here for the same reason and all of them were about social change. "We were young back then; we learned a lot," says Mr Hawke. "It's interesting how a lot of those young 'uns are kaumatua or doing big things these days. 'No one was there to push their own barrow. They were there because they genuinely believed in it." ON MAY 25, 1978, the mood changed. Hundreds of police and soldiers encircled the site and moved in. They arrested everybody and destroyed all evidence that the occupation ever existed. The eviction preceded by the death of Mr Hawke's niece, Joannie, in a fire on the site that really highlighted what was going on, he says. "The public didn't support the eviction. We were a non-violent protest and the Government responded with a complete overkill. No one should be treated like that." But did it really make a difference to today's society? "Attitudes have definitely changed. People are no longer afraid to speak Maori," says Mr Hawke. He glances across the marae at a multicultural group of children. "Most of these kids could sing our songs better then I can. Thirty years ago you didn't have too many Pakeha children in the city that could sing Maori songs. Now we have hundreds of children come through this marae every year and they are learning about Maori culture." The Government has also changed its approach. "Consultation is the big thing. It makes a big difference to be talked to before something goes ahead rather than being told after it's done. "When you travel around New Zealand, Maori everywhere thank us for what we did at Bastion Pt." However, he believes Maori have some way to go to raise their conditions to equal those of the rest of New Zealand. Which is why, with every deal Ngati Whatua enters, it aims to equal social issues. "It's about education, social, and health issues. We're not interested in [financial] dividends," says Mr Hawke. "Once we build the structure and we have some good people in the offices, the business side will look after itself and we can focus on the social side. "It will save the state money and provide a place for Maori to go. We have already set up three health clinics around the city. Now we would like to branch out to a dentist. "We also need to get on top of domestic violence and drugs so we are setting up those institutions now to deal with it."
STANDING ACROSS from the protesters on eviction day was Bob Newson. He looks into the distance as he recalls being caught in the middle a Maori and a policeman. 'I am not ashamed of what I did. I was an officer and it was my job. They asked if I wanted to be involved and I said yes," the former cop recalls. "I figured if anyone should be there it should be Maori officers. We could make sure that, if there were arrests, that they would be done respectfully. 'It was an intense period. One time, when I wasn't on duty, I went to the tangi of little Joannie Hawke. I was called up and put in front of the commissioner at the time. I wasn't seen as a good officer and I was labelled as a sympathiser. "I didn't get a good reception at the tangi either. Everyone knew that I was an officer so I was pretty unpopular on both sides." After leaving the police, Mr Newson worked at the Human Rights Commission, in race relations, and gained insight into how much progress New Zealand has made. "Bastion Pt was a turning-point. It was an event that changed the country," he says. "It signalled that Maori were no longer going to take it. It's where they put a stake in the ground and said they were prepared to fight for what's left of their land. "What brought non-Maori into the cause was that the protest was not about Maori versus Pakeha. It was versus the Government." Mr Newson is happy with the path the country is on. "Twenty years ago, if you talked about the treaty [of Waitangi] you got your head bitten off. It wasn't even taught in schools. Now kids are learning proper history lessons. They learn about the treaty and how the nation came to be." And the country's racial make-up has changed. "Where we once had two dominant cultures European and Maori now it's a much more diverse society." BUT IS IT fairer? The Human Rights Commission's 2008 race relations report shows conditions for Maori have improved over the past 30 years. Maori live longer, have greater participation and achievement in tertiary education, and the number of lowincome households is declining. In 1999, Maori unemployment stood at 17.9 per cent; by September 2008, it was at 7.7 per cent. However, gulfs remain in health and safety, with high rates of crime and crowded households. Mr Newson: "We still have a lot of work to do. But we will get there. There is quite a high rate of Maori setting up their own businesses. "Instead of them being the guys always digging roads they might still be out there but, instead, they are often the contractor and they own the digger and make good money for their families. That man can help his family get ahead." Is the battle won? Will there be more protests? "We are educating ourselves and the new battlefields are the courtrooms. Instead of having to camp out, we can legislate and push for reform of different laws." But there will always be room for protesters, says the former officer of the law. "Someone needs to keep an eye on the Government."
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Latest from Aucklander
What have we learned from the Auckland floods?
OPINION: There have been changes to warn city residents to get to higher ground.