Twenty-five years on, Auckland is about to revisit the impact of the Dawn Raids in a revival of a play from award-winning playwright Oscar Kightley.
Dawn Raids is returning to the stage nearly a year after the Government apologised for the trauma the raids caused.
Kightley's play looks at life in 1970s Auckland when the New Zealand government cracked down on overstayers, ripping Pasifika families from their beds in a series of targeted early morning police raids.
The play has only ever been performed in Auckland and in Christchurch.
In August 2021, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern apologised unreservedly for the Raids which saw Pacific people targeted.
"The Dawn Raids period cast a shadow over our shared history. Upholding immigration laws is one thing, but the Dawn Raids went well beyond that," said Ardern at the time.
"Expressing our sorrow, regret and remorse for past actions is the right thing to do and provides an opportunity for closure and reconciliation."
The producer of Pacific Underground, the group behind the play, Tanya Muagututi’a MNZM says it's the right time for Kightley's show to return to the theatre.
"[It] spoke of the truths untold of Pasifika people living in Aotearoa, giving us all empowerment to keep honouring our community through theatre, music and events. Oscar's trademark humour balances out the conflict within this family story, in a cathartic and uplifting way," she said.
"25 years later, Aotearoa is more aware. It was one of our country's darkest moments, so this revival offers a place for talanoa and healing."
The 2022 season of Dawn Raids will run at Auckland's ASB Waterfront Theatre from August 16 - September 3.
