![]() They were enthusiastic to tell the history and issues of the day to those prepared to take the time to come and listen. My first impression was of a close community devoted to an issue. The take of Bastion Point went far deeper than any news media could or would divulge, as I would discover when I visited the protest site one evening in February 1977. Vivienne Smits stripping flax at Takaparawhau. Haven’t we learnt our lesson that money can’t replace land? Land has no cash value to the Māori! It is sacred - our taonga! We are just the guardians. I do question the monetary exchange for the current land grievances. Bastion Point was another marker in the history of Māori self-determination. Looking back I see that it was a pivotal point in my desire for justice for the Ngāti Whātua. I like to think that the increased awareness of land injustices and government recognition of these issues were highlighted with Bastion Point. On reflection - what did Bastion Point achieve? Was this experience worthwhile? Ricky Allison and his dad Percy, Big Mike Rameka, Roger the Dodger, Dilworth Karaka and the boys, Sam and Adrienne, Diane and Colin, Terry, Lance and Sharon Hawke, Rocky, Rex, Lyn and Roger, Toira and Gina Tumahai, Taua Solomon and the many that my memory can no longer recall. The whare Kokiri and many versions of dwelling. Steve and Maude - the big blue humber car. Thanks for the music Alec and your lightness, Mavis.ĭoc Ngaheu, my enigma! - we shared so many experiences during our time together. Mavis and Alec and little Joanne - A special place in my heart for you all. The tin whistle and your grandfather’s tangi. Thanks for sharing your love of music - Bob Marley and Joan Armatrading. ![]() Ngaio, you beautiful strong Māori woman - who made me laugh and cry and sing and celebrate life. Rachel and Grant and their beautiful children Celeste, Grant, Dayna and Barry-Gene! I thank them from the bottom of my heart for all their strength and kindness, sharing their home.Īussie Bob and Margaret Jones - my friends from Camp Runamuck. Aunty Didi taught me how to make kete and I thank her for her kindness in sharing her knowledge. Joe’s mum, Aunty Didi and his dad Eddie were always there, calmly going through their day to day chores - be it in the garden or simply boiling the water for a cup of tea. It is the people I lived and shared with that I have the fondest memories of. Listening to discussions, karakia, singing in Māori, gave ritual pause for reflection of our actions as we moved on to the next step of our daily routine. Language like “Camp Runamuck” and “rat patrol” existed only on Bastion Point. John Denver also visited, sang and shared and gave us free concert tickets, which was very uplifting. Tim Shadbolt would quietly support by attending meetings. Māori icons - Dame Whina Cooper, Matiu Rata, Eva Rickard, Donna Awatere - passed through with their spiritual and political support. The building was a focal point for many meetings and visits from people. It was a permanent marker of our presence and an embarrassment to the government. We lived in the moment.Īs winter approached we grew bolder as deadlines for eviction came and went without event - a meeting house was built. This was grass roots - a few tents, a couple of caravans, wood stoves, long drop loos, tilly lamps and candles. There were no mod cons - power, hot water, buildings, toilets, etc. We lived simply day by day and we evolved and built our lives literally from the ground up. Here was a group of people from all walks of life, family, nationality, tribe and political agenda thrown together on top of a royal piece of land smack bang in the middle of metropolitan Auckland.Īlong with the injustices suffered by the Ngāti Whātua and the belief that this land claim was rightful, was the deep connection I gained from just being on the land, marking the days with the ever-present threat of eviction by the Muldoon government. Vivienne Smits (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei)ĭuring the confusion of the 70s, my time spent on Bastion point was probably the sanest. ![]() The following extracts are memories from that time, recorded in a commemoration book produced and edited by Sharon Hawke in 1998. In 1977 Joe Hawke, with the Ōrākei Māori Action Committee, led an occupation to protest the loss of Ngāti Whātua’s land rights. May 25 marks 45 years since the arrest of more than 200 people at Takaparawhau, Bastion Point. ![]()
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