All you need to know about the 45th Takaparawhau/Bastion Point commemorations
Wednesday, 24 May 2023
May 25, 1978, marked a pivotal moment in New Zealand history – a day when Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and their supporters were forcibly evicted from their land at Takaparawhau/Bastion Point. A lot has happened since then and the iwi invites people to reflect on that as they celebrate 45 years of resilience.
So what exactly was the Takaparawhau/Bastion Point occupation?
The short answer is that it was a 506-day occupation of a plot of land in Central Auckland overlooking the Waitematā. Of course, short answers are notorious for missing a lot of context, and that is important here.
Takaparawhau had originally been Ngāti Whātua land, gifted to the Crown as a defence site during the 1885 Russian scare, according to NZ History.
**READ MORE:
* Hundreds crowd outside court as Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei status recognised
* Ōrakei kaumātua return home, decades after settlement was razed by the Crown
**
Flash forward to 1977 when the Crown decided Takaparawhau would make a great spot for a subdivided private housing development.
Unhappy with that move, a group of protesters from Ngāti Whātua and beyond moved on to Takaparawhau and for 506 days lived on their whenua.
“I puta rā anō te kupu mō te ngākau aroha o tēnei hapū i tāna takoha i te katoa o te pokapū o Tāmaki Makaurau, mea rawa ake, i te raro pōtehetehe, kua rawa kore i ō mātou ake papa.”
“The story was finally out there about how this very generous hapū had gifted all of central Auckland and were turned into, in very quick time, paupers in our own land,” says Ngarimu Blair, deputy chairperson of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust.
The occupation would end in ugly scenes, but eventually Takaparawhau would be returned to Ngāti Whātua.
What will commemorations look like this year?
Commemorations officially begin with Tent Night at Takaparawhau on Wednesday, May 24 – complete with kai, waiata and fire braziers to keep everyone warm – a fitting tribute to the original occupation.
Thursday calls for an early start at Takaparawhau with karakia at 6.30am, followed by a roll call of all the people who were at Takaparawhau during the occupation.
At 7.45am, Ōrākei Marae will host parakuihi (breakfast) in the wharekai with a gold coin entry as a fundraiser for Pink Ribbon Breakfast Day, so have a look for some spare change under the couch or your car seats before you arrive.
At 10am there will be pōwhiri for the Papatūānuku symposium (tumutumuwhenua) after which video clips of people from the occupation will be shown.
There will also be a panel discussion focusing on land occupations including Raglan and Pākaitore. The theme is Whenua Rangatira.
After a break for kai, there will be time for spoken word poetry and a video clip relating to memories of the point.
The second panel of the day will feature New Zealander of the Year Professor Rangi Matamua, leading Māori astronomy expert and the chief adviser to the Government on Matariki.
A great lineup of musicians, including Ardijah, Annie Crummer and Herbs, will close the day with a concert, honouring the many musicians who supported the Bastion Point struggle and celebrating 45 years of resilience. The concert at the Tuning Fork, Spark Arena, will kick off at 5.30pm. This is an R18 ticketed concert.
Do I need to register for anything beforehand?
Āe. Luckily it’s easy to do, all the information you need can be found on the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Facebook page.
What about the weather?
According to MetService, we are looking at a high of 16 degrees and a low of 6.
It’s looking sunny at the moment but this is Tāmaki Makaurau where four seasons in one day is not uncommon.
You probably won’t go wrong with a warm jacket for the early morning karakia.