In the 1960s, thousands of people migrated from the Pacific Islands to fill labour shortages in the New Zealand workplace.
Credit: Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Māori protesters form a mile-long march before arriving at Parliament, 1975.
Credit: Alexander Turnbull Library, Ref: PA7-15-08.
Gay rights were beginning to become more prominent in New Zealand, with groups more visible and vocal about their needs. During this decade people in the country were also protesting nuclear testing in the Pacific, the Vietnam War, and apartheid in South Africa.
Although Lenny, Sofia, and sometimes Lily were vocal about their points of view, challenging their parents in this way would rarely have occurred, especially in Pacific Island households, where respect for elders and service to the family were of high importance. Older children often cared for younger siblings, and children answering back to their parents would have been virtually unheard of. There were clear divisions between adulthood and childhood; you were either a child or an adult, and advancing to adulthood usually happened when you left school and joined the workforce or went to university.
Tigilau Ness is a real person and a Polynesian Panther. He did name his son Che after Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the Cuban revolutionary leader who was born in Argentina. Che (Tigilau’s son), became known as Che Fu and built a successful hip-hop music career. Other prominent Panthers’ children include musicians Scribe (son of Fa’amoana Luafutu, known as “John”), and Danny Leaosavaii (known as “Brotha D”—cofounder of the hip-hop music label Dawn Raid, named as an acknowledgment to this era in New Zealand history). Members of Leaosavaii’s family had been targets of the dawn raids. Hip-hop artist King Kapisi (aka Bill Urale) publishes music under the name Overstayer and has a clothing label of the same name—also reminders of this period and the events of the time.
Polynesian Panther Party headquarters, Auckland. Credit: Auckland Star.
A Polynesian Panthers demonstration.
Credit: John Miller.
David Lange did become Prime Minister of New Zealand, representing the Labour Government from 1984 to 1989. He was a strong supporter and adviser for the Polynesian Panther group, especially from 1971 to 1976.
So, what happened to the people who were arrested in the dawn raids? They were taken away with only the clothes on their backs and were kept in cells until their paperwork could be produced. Those who were overstayers were held until they were deported—some of them never saw their families again. It was a sad time that set friends and family members against each other, with some people dobbing others in to take the heat off themselves.
Random checks were carried out on the streets—a humiliating process. New Zealand–born–and–bred people were being stopped by police, simply because of the colour of their skin or the clothes they were wearing. Many police officers were opposed to “blitzing” Pacific Islanders with these random checks on the streets. A television news broadcast reported that they felt these practises represented a step backwards in relations between police and Pacific people. There were many instances where television and newspapers did investigate and highlight injustices, probing politicians and police leaders to come clean about what was really happening.
An after-school homework program organized by the Polynesian Panthers.
Credit: John Miller.
The Polynesian Panther Party Legal Aid booklet cover, 1973–1974.
Credit: Alexander Turnbull Library, David Wickham Collection.
A Christmas party organized by the Polynesian Panthers.
Credit: John Miller.
A Polynesian Panthers demonstration at the U.S. Consulate.
Credit: John Miller.
The bulk of overstayers around this time—about two-thirds—were in fact from Australia, North America, and European countries. Pacific Island overstayers accounted for only one-third. However, Caucasians were not “dawn raided,” and the largest number of people prosecuted for overstaying were Pacific Island people.
The Polynesian Panthers were a group of mainly New Zealand–born Pacific Islanders, aged from 17 to 20. Their number also included some Māori and Indian members. Unlike their parents and grandparents, who kept their heads down, never complained, and did all they could to fit in, the Panthers were prepared to address blatant injustices and stand up to authority. This often caused tension within families. To this day, Polynesian Panthers remain active in their communities, and some speak at schools and universities about their experiences and continue to pass on the important messages of “educate to liberate,” “knowledge is power,” and “power to the people.” One of their strong beliefs is, “once a Panther, always a Panther.”
Opening of the Dawn Raid exhibition, created by Pauline Vaeluaga Smith, 2019. From left to right: Tour manager Darren Vaeluaga, Polynesian Panthers Will ‘Ilolahia (Co-founder), Pauline Vaeluaga Smith (author of Dawn Raid, and newest and most Southern Polynesian Panther), and original Panther members Tigilau Ness, Dr Melani Anae, and Reverend Alec Toleafoa.”
Sofia’s growing awareness of these issues could have ignited a career in law, education, or media. Or, knowing her fondness for fashion, perhaps she became a dancer for the popular Ready to Roll TV show and got a pair of go-go boots in every colour! Or, maybe both!
GLOSSARY
NEW ZEALAND
ENGLISH WORDS AND SLANG
Blew off – Broke wind or farted
Bottle drive – A popular way to fundraise in New Zealand prior to the 1980s. Beer and fizz bottles made of glass were collected by groups who went door to door. Bottles were returned to bottling plants, which gave refunds for these.
Brassed off – To be annoyed
Buzz – A maths game where a chosen number or multiple of this number is replaced with the word buzz. The first person starts counting from the number 1, progressing around the circle with each person saying the next number. If the number or multiple of this is said instead of buzz you would be eliminated from the game.
Cake cooler – A heavy wire rack used for putting baking aside to cool
Chooks – Chickens; in this story they are precooked chickens purchased from the supermarket
Chuffed – Really pleased with yourself
College – The New Zealand equivalent of junior high and high school
Dairy – A convenience store often located on a street corner
Dobbed in – To tell on another person
Element – The hotplate on a stovetop
Fizz – Fizzy soft drink or soda pop
Flash – Very fancy
Foofed – Extremely tired
Hard case – A funny or comical person
Hokey-pokey – A type of honeycomb toffee. New Zealand also has hokey-pokey ice cream, which is vanilla ice cream with solid chunks of hokey-pokey throughout.
Jandal – A thong or flip-flop
Jersey – A knitted cardigan or jumper
Lamingtons – Small squares of sponge cake coated all over with brown or pink icing and then coated with dried or desiccated coconut
Mutton bags – A stockinette-type meat bag used to keep meat clean. It has always been popular in New Zealand to repurpose these as cleaning cloths.
NAC – New Zealand National Airways Corporation
Nut roll bar – A candy bar filled with nuts and nougat and covered with chocolate
Overstayer – A person who has outstayed their permitted visit in a country
Pacific Islanders – People with Pacific Island heritage
Paddy wagon – A police van used for transporting people who have been arrested
Pikelet – A sweetened, round, small pancake or hotcake
Plait – A hair braid
Polynesian – A collective term used to describe people from Pacific Islands
Rusks – A hard biscuit usually for babies to chew on when they are teething
Scrummy – Super delicious
Shout dinner – To pay for dinner for others
&n
bsp; Sooky la la – A sensitive person or a cry baby
Sultana – A dried grape like a raisin
Togs – Swimsuit
Top Town – A New Zealand game show series where teams from different towns competed against each other in various obstacle challenges
Torch – Flashlight
MĀORI WORDS
Aotearoa – The Māori name for New Zealand. The literal translation is Land of the Long White Cloud.
Hāngi – A traditional Māori method for cooking food in a pit oven in the ground
Hikoi – To walk or march. Indicating a long march or journey.
Iwi – A large group, tribe, or clan of people
Ka pai – Your work is good
Karakia – A prayer
Kumara – A sweet potato
Māori – Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand
Marae – A gathering space with sacred buildings and grounds where special meetings are held
Pākehā – New Zealanders primarily of European descent. The term is also applied to fair-skinned people and has been extended to any non-Māori New Zealander.
Poi – Small, soft ball attached to a plaited rope. Poi are swung and used in dance performance.
Rakau – Sticks usually made of wood used in games as seen in the illustration on p. 45
Te Hapua – A town in the far north of New Zealand
Te reo Māori – The Māori language
Tikanga – Customs, rules, traditions
Waiata – Song
SAMOAN WORDS
Afakasi – Half caste. A person with European and Pacific Island ancestry.
Alofa – Love. Can also be a name.
Fa’afetai lava – Thank you
Lavalava – A sarong-type garment tied at the waist or hips
Pālagi – A non-Samoan person, usually fair-skinned
Palusami – A food made from taro leaves and coconut milk
Pasifika – A term used to describe migrants from the Pacific region and their descendants
Taro – A starchy root vegetable
Tapa – Coarse cloth made from the bark of the mulberry tree and decorated with Pacific designs
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS
Anae, M., L. Luli, & L. Burgoyne, eds. Polynesian Panthers: The Crucible Years 1971–1974. Auckland: Reed Publishing, 2006.
Mallon, S., K. U. Mahina-Tuai, & D. I. Salesa, eds. Tangata O Le Moana: New Zealand and the People of the Pacific. Wellington: Te Papa Press, 2012.
Saisoa’a, M. ‘Ngā hekenga hau. “Pacific Peoples in Aotearoa/New Zealand,” in T. Ka’ai, J. Moorfield, M. Reilly, & S. Moseley, eds. Ki te whaio: An Introduction to Māori Culture and Society. Auckland: Pearson Education, 2004.
OTHER SOURCES
History.com Editors. (November 3, 2017). Black Panthers. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/black-panthers
King Collier, A. (November 4, 2015). The Black Panthers: Revolutionaries, Free Breakfast Pioneers. In National Geographic: Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/food/the-plate/2015/11/04/the-black-panthers-revolutionaries-free-breakfast-pioneers/
McCartney, M. Milk and Honey. New Zealand: McCartney Productions, 2012. Documentary.
Ministry for Culture and Heritage. “Key Events 1976,” in The 1970s. Retrieved from https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/the-1970s/1976.
Ministry for Culture and Heritage. “McDonald’s Arrives in New Zealand,” in The 1970s. Retrieved from https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/mcdonalds-arrives-new-zealand.
NZ On Screen. Dawn Raids. Retrieved from https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/dawn-raids- 2005.
Radio New Zealand. Polynesian Panthers. Retrieved from http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/306630/how-the-polynesian-panthers-gave-rise-to-pasifika-activism. Audio.
Spoonley, P. “Ethnic and Religious Intolerance: Intolerance Towards Pacific Migrants, ” in Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/28181/a-raid-on-pacific-islanders.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I acknowledge the courageous and adventurous Pacific pioneers who migrated to Aotearoa for a better life for themselves and their children. To the Polynesian Panthers and supporters who stood against injustice and empowered people to stand up for their rights, I am in awe of your determination, resilience, and bravery. I acknowledge the late Prime Minister, David Lange, who stood up for people when they needed his support. A massive fa’afetai to Alini Finlayson, Tigilau Ness, Johnny Penisula, Dr. Melani Anae, and Reverend Alec Toleafoa for sharing personal stories and experiences of the dawn raid era.
Much alofa to my friends and family who have walked this journey with me offering feedback and encouragement: the support crew, Junior Tonga, Tania Carran-Tonga, Ari Edgecombe, Gordy Ballantyne, Christina Jeffery, Colin Jeffery, Mary O’Rourke, Victor Rodger, Lyn McDonald, and Mavis Penisula. Paula Woods, thank you for having your ears open and connecting the dots with Lynette Evans and Penny Scown, Scholastic NZ.
Warmest thanks to team Levine Querido, especially the wonderful Nick Thomas, it has been a joy working with you and the talented Mat Hunkin.
My heartfelt thanks to my number one proofreader and cheerleader Chris Horwell (the best SS ever), also number two, Mandy Smith, and number three, my Mum, who loves my work. I have to ask, do reviews count if they come from your Mum?
MY FAMILY, Geoff you win the “Oscar” for best male in a supporting role. Sarah and Mandy, I can hardly believe how lucky I am to have children who inspire me so. For my grandchildren Caden, Brooklyn, Indy, Ella, and Ali, you are the fuel for my soul.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dawn Raid is the debut book by Pauline Vaeluaga Smith. For it, she received Best First Book at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and a Storylines NZ Notable Book Award. Pauline’s heritage is Samoan, Tuvaluan, Scottish, and Irish. Her work is heavily influenced by her experiences growing up in the 1970s, her roles as a teacher and university educator, her passion for civil rights and justice, and her deep interest in uplifting NZ Māori and Pasifika culture. She lives in a small seaside town at the bottom of the South Island of Aotearoa-New Zealand.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Mat Hunkin is an award-winning illustrator who has drawn for children’ s books, films, graphic novels, advertising, and magazines. Of Samoan and pālagi descent, Mat has a passion for illustrating history and sharing stories that matter with young readers. He currently works in the film industry in Auckland, New Zealand, enjoying the beach and bike rides with his wife and two children.
SOME NOTES ON THIS BOOK’S PRODUCTION
The art for the jacket and interiors was created by Mat Hunkin. Mat began his career as an illustrator using traditional pencil, ink, and wash techniques, and draws on those skills when working digitally. He enjoys the research process in illustration and design, especially sourcing reference images for historic details. The text was set by Westchester Publishing Services in Danbury, CT, in Adobe Jenson, a typeface drawn in 1996 by the company’s chief designer, Robert Slimbach. A revival of Nicolas Jenson’s roman and Ludovico Vicentino degli Arrighi’s italic from the 15th and 16th centuries, Adobe Jenson is a serif noted for its elegance, readability, and flexibility as a typeface. The title type was set in Colby Compressed, a sans serif by Jason Vandenberg designed to combine the warm feel of hand-written letters with the legibility of a clean sans serif. This e-book was created by Westchester Publishing Services.
Production was supervised by Leslie Cohen and Freesia Blizard
Book jacket and interiors designed by Chad Beckerman
Edited by Nick Thomas
r reading books on Archive.