What were the consequences of the Bastion Point protest?

The protest ended when the government sent in police to clear the protesters and demolish their makeshift homes. The new housing was never built and under a Treaty of Waitangi settlement much of the land was returned to Ngāti Whātua.

What was the problem at Bastion Point?

25 May 1978 Police and army personnel removed 222 people from Bastion Point, above Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour, ending an occupation that had lasted 506 days. Local iwi Ngāti Whātua were protesting against the loss of land in the Ōrākei block, which had once been declared ‘absolutely inalienable’.

Who led the Bastion Point protest?

The Ōrākei Māori Action Committee, headed by Joe and Grant Hawke and Mike (Jack) and Roger Rameka, led an occupation of the land to prevent the subdivision. The occupation of Bastion Point lasted 506 days.

What did Robert Muldoon do at Bastion Point?

On the orders of then Prime Minister Robert Muldoon more than 800 police officers marched up to Bastion Point to forcibly remove protestors and destroy their make shift camp. Leading the occupation was Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei leader, Joe Hawke.

How did the Bastion Point affect NZ?

40 years ago the eviction of protesters from Bastion Point or Takaparawhau in Auckland triggered the beginning of the new era in land rights, says the Minister of Māori Development the Hon Nanaia Mahuta. On May the 25th 1978, police and army evicted 222 people from the waterfront reserve after a 506 day standoff.

What was the Bastion Point protest?

Bastion Point (Māori: Takaparawhau) is a coastal piece of land in Ōrākei, Auckland, New Zealand, overlooking the Waitematā Harbour. The area is significant in New Zealand history as the site of protests in the late 1970s by Māori against forced land alienation by pākehā (European settlers).

Why did the government want the land at Bastion Point?

New Zealand’s government realized that the coastal land was important for the growth of Auckland and began confiscating it for public use in the mid-1800s. In 1885 the government, fearing that the Russian navy was planning an invasion, took Bastion Point to use as a defensive position.

What is the longest protest in NZ?

The 1951 waterfront dispute was the biggest industrial confrontation in New Zealand’s history. Although it was not as violent as the Great Strike of 1913, it lasted longer – 151 days, from February to July – and involved more workers.

What was the final outcome for Ngāti Whātua?

On 5 November 2001 Ngāti Whātua Orākei settled its historic treaty claims for a total of $18 million. The tribe also received redress over the maunga on the Tāmaki isthmus through the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (Tāmaki Collective) deed of settlement, signed on 7 June 2012.

Why was the Bastion Point protest significance to New Zealand?

Why did Joe Hawke protest?

Led by Joe Hawke, they were protesting against the Government’s plan for high-cost housing on the land.