Bastion Point gathering to mark the 45th commemoration of one of our darkest days

Hundreds gathered this morning on Bastion Point to mark the 45th anniversary of a black day in Aotearoa history. Photo / Supplied

Hundreds of whānau braved the cold conditions at the spiritual home of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei last night to celebrate two milestones - the 45th anniversary of when the government used force to end of the occupation of Bastion Point and the one-year anniversary of the death of the Iwi’s larger-than-life leader Joe Hawke.

Today is a black letter day in Māori and Aotearoa relations. It is 45 years to the day that 800 army and police personnel went to Bastion Point to evict the occupiers. Two-hundred-and-twenty-two people were arrested and their temporary meeting house, buildings and gardens were demolished after police were instructed to shut down the 506-day land protest.

Sharon Hawke, whose father Joe Hawke led the occupation, says the hapu still considers today a commemoration rather than an anniversary, but it’s also starting to focus on the positive outcomes of the action. One-hundred-and-seventy stayed the night.

She said her cousins wanted to camp on the site overnight so they could experience something of what whanau went through during the 506-day occupation.

Joe Hawke in 2018 with his daughter Sharon Hawke. Photo / Jason Oxenham

“I’ve been frank with them that it’s very cold, dress warm, and we’ve got a wonderful team from Ngati Whatua Orakei Trust who are making it possible so we can get onto the land because it’s very muddy. Heoi anō, that’s not to prevent us from doing what we want to do on our whenua,” Hawke said.

This morning there was also a karakia at the site of the memorial to Joannee (Jo-ann-ee) Hawke, who died in a fire during the occupation, followed by a flag raising and roll call.

The removal of about 200 protesters on May 25, 1978, marked the end of the occupation of Takaparawhau Bastion Point.

This is a photograph of the memorial to five-year-old Joanne Hawke who tragically died in a tent fire during the occupation in September 1977. Photo / Manukau Library

Joannee was the niece of Joe Hawke, leader of the protesters.

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei deputy chair Ngarimu Blair said today is a very special day for Māori.

“Today is the 45th Anniversary of the Bastion Point protest which was smashed on this day in 1978 ending a 506-day occupation with a huge mobilisation of army and police,” Blair said.

“Today is also one year since the leader of the movement Joe Hawke was buried on Takaparawhau.

Blair says his generation and those to come should be eternally grateful for the efforts of the land protectors of that day.

“They inspired a generation to stand up to the power of the Crown and the open racism of the day. That has created space for those who followed to make the most of the opportunities to lift our people out of poverty and from under the boot of government and council,” he said.

“There is still a long way to go to achieve rangatiratanga but we have much to look back on and be proud of and thankful to our previous generations of warriors. We still encounter a Crown who ignore and connive against us by giving our land Uncle Joe fought for to alien iwi but he and our kaumãtua have equipped us with the skills and resources to fight for what little we have left.”

Protestors at Bastion Point. Photo / NZ Herald