Former Polynesian Panther condemns Immigration NZ's 'dawn raid'

Tigilau Ness says he is deeply distressed following reports of a case of a Pasifika overstayer who was detained in South Auckland last week.

Tigilau Ness, a former member of the Polynesian Panthers, has labelled Immigration NZ's actions detaining a Pasifika overstayer at dawn last week as wrong and "retraumatising" for the community.

As a New Zealand-born Niuean activist who fought against racial injustices since he was 16, including the dawn raids of the '70s, Ness said he understands firsthand the haunting effect it has on Pacific Islanders.

"Here we go again — that was my initial reaction."

According to the detained man's lawyer Soane Foliaki, police showed up at 5am, scaring his children and taking him into custody.

It was then revealed the incident was not a one-off. Nineteen people have been arrested at dawn between last July and April this year. Although Immigration NZ disputes the timing by an hour, Ness argued the optics of the raid are unacceptable and no-less traumatic.

"Anything like that that involves sleeping families and especially with children being traumatised, that to me is a dawn raid," he said.

"There's no two ways about it."

The Government said it had expressed concern and has demanded a please explain over Immigration NZ's conduct.

Acting Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni — whose father is Samoan — said there is an expectation the agency acts in accordance with the Government's formal apology it gave to the Pasifika community for the dawn raids in the '70s.

"[It is] hugely disappointing and uncomfortable," she said.

Carmel Sepuloni

When asked why the message needed to be reiterated, Sepuloni said that she didn't want the agency to engage in behaviour that would retraumatise Pasifika peoples.

"We need to put a stop to this."

In 2021, the Government gave a formal apology to the Pasifika community for the dawn raids of the 1970s, where a series of rigorous immigration policies resulted in targeted raids on the homes of Pacific families.

It's brought back memories of the 1970s dawn raids, prompting the minister to step in.

The raids often came very early in the morning or late at night and were severe, with harsh verbal and physical treatment.

In response to the recent raid by Immigration NZ, Immigration Minister Michael Wood said he sent a "clear letter of expectation", calling on the agency to fully consider the Government's apology for the dawn raids and to reflect that in their operations.

Ness agreed the apology was an important step forward, acknowledging its significance for his community. However, he said the incident is a painful reminder of the trauma experienced by Pasifika communities.

"I don't want it to be a waste of time and effort by a lot of people, the families in one instance that were affected by it, they're able to move on and start healing."

And given the traumatic history of the dawn raids and their ongoing impact on Pasifika communities, he wants the agency to rethink its approach.

"[It] has the resources to be able to work it out in a better way — they obviously haven't exhausted all their resources that they have within their reach."

In a statement, Immigration NZ said it was rare for officers to show up early in the morning, and in this case the decision was approved by the national manager of compliance.

It said of the 623 "customers" it "interacted with" between last July and the end of April, just 3% — about 18 or 19 — were contacted "outside of hours". The "vast majority" of visits were carried out between 7am and 9pm.

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