Who was Involved?
Joe Hawke:
Joseph Parata Hohepa Hawke, MNZM (born 1940), is a former New Zealand politician. He was a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party from 1996 to 2002. Hawke assisted Dame Whina Cooper as secretary of the Matakite organisation during the 1975 land march. Hawke is most widely known for his role in the 1977-1978 occupation of Bastion Point. He was the leader of the Orakei Maori Committee Action Group, and with him took 150 protestors and set up a tent settlement on the land, he stayed on site at the protest for the entirety of the protest. He was instrumental in the negotiations which took place at the Waitangi Tribunal in 1987, and eventually led to the first successful claim, in which the Ngati Whatua tribe received large compensation.
Joseph Parata Hohepa Hawke, MNZM (born 1940), is a former New Zealand politician. He was a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party from 1996 to 2002. Hawke assisted Dame Whina Cooper as secretary of the Matakite organisation during the 1975 land march. Hawke is most widely known for his role in the 1977-1978 occupation of Bastion Point. He was the leader of the Orakei Maori Committee Action Group, and with him took 150 protestors and set up a tent settlement on the land, he stayed on site at the protest for the entirety of the protest. He was instrumental in the negotiations which took place at the Waitangi Tribunal in 1987, and eventually led to the first successful claim, in which the Ngati Whatua tribe received large compensation.
Ngati Whatua:
Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi (tribe) of New Zealand. It is a confederation of hapū (subtribes) interconnected by both ancestry and association over time. The four hapū are Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa, Te Taoū, and Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei. Ngati Whatua was the tribe that was involved in the Bastion Point Protest; the land at Bastion Point had originally belonged to them. They had gifted the land to the government with the expectation that it would be returned to them once it had served its purpose. Once the government decided that they would not return the land, and would develop the land, members of Ngati Whatua decided that they would take action. The Elders of the tribe managed to negotiate with the Muldoon government for 11.6 hectares of the land at Bastion Point to be returned during the protest, however were unable to convince Joe Hawke and his followers to leave the land and end their protest.
Ngāti Whātua is a Māori iwi (tribe) of New Zealand. It is a confederation of hapū (subtribes) interconnected by both ancestry and association over time. The four hapū are Te Uri-o-Hau, Te Roroa, Te Taoū, and Ngāti Whātua-o-Ōrākei. Ngati Whatua was the tribe that was involved in the Bastion Point Protest; the land at Bastion Point had originally belonged to them. They had gifted the land to the government with the expectation that it would be returned to them once it had served its purpose. Once the government decided that they would not return the land, and would develop the land, members of Ngati Whatua decided that they would take action. The Elders of the tribe managed to negotiate with the Muldoon government for 11.6 hectares of the land at Bastion Point to be returned during the protest, however were unable to convince Joe Hawke and his followers to leave the land and end their protest.
Orakei Maori Committee Action Group:
A group of members of the Ngati Whatua tribe decided to take direct action against the planned subdivision at Bastion Point, calling themselves the Orakei Maori Action Committee. They were led by Joe Hawke and were the main contingent of the protestors who occupied the site during the 506 days which the protest lasted.
A group of members of the Ngati Whatua tribe decided to take direct action against the planned subdivision at Bastion Point, calling themselves the Orakei Maori Action Committee. They were led by Joe Hawke and were the main contingent of the protestors who occupied the site during the 506 days which the protest lasted.
New Zealand Government:
Ngati Whatua had originally gifted the land the Crown in 1859 for defence purposes, and expected the land to be returned to them once it no longer fulfilled the purpose which it was originally intended for. The Government that was in power during the 1977-78 protest was the National Government, under the leadership of the antagonistic Robert Muldoon. The Muldoon Government took a hard-nosed approach towards native affairs and did so in relation to the Bastion Point Protest. In 1976 the Muldoon government decided that they would develop the land at Bastion Point, rather than returning the land to the people of Ngati Whatua. As a result of this, members of Ngati Whatua occupied the land at Bastion point, one day before construction was due to begin, in 1977. The government gained an injunction for the land to be vacated. Despite this Muldoon and his government negotiated with the elders of Ngati Whatua to return 11.6 hectares of land to the Iwi. The government then issued its court injunction, and after Joe Hawke and his followers refused to vacate the land, the government sent in 600 police officers to remove the occupants from the land on the 25th of May 1978.
Ngati Whatua had originally gifted the land the Crown in 1859 for defence purposes, and expected the land to be returned to them once it no longer fulfilled the purpose which it was originally intended for. The Government that was in power during the 1977-78 protest was the National Government, under the leadership of the antagonistic Robert Muldoon. The Muldoon Government took a hard-nosed approach towards native affairs and did so in relation to the Bastion Point Protest. In 1976 the Muldoon government decided that they would develop the land at Bastion Point, rather than returning the land to the people of Ngati Whatua. As a result of this, members of Ngati Whatua occupied the land at Bastion point, one day before construction was due to begin, in 1977. The government gained an injunction for the land to be vacated. Despite this Muldoon and his government negotiated with the elders of Ngati Whatua to return 11.6 hectares of land to the Iwi. The government then issued its court injunction, and after Joe Hawke and his followers refused to vacate the land, the government sent in 600 police officers to remove the occupants from the land on the 25th of May 1978.
New Zealand Native Land Court:
The Native Land Court was one the significant outcomes of the Native Lands Act which was introduced in 1965. The court allowed for the conversion of traditional Maori land into individual titles, making it easier to purchase this land. Coming little more than a year after the Waikato War, this legislation was to achieve what many believed had not been accomplished on the battlefield, acquiring the land necessary to satisfy the need for land for new European settlers. The actions of the Land Court affected Māori more than those of any other legislation or law. When contestation issues over land were taken to the court European settlers were likely to benefit. Historian Judith Binney described the Native Lands Act as an ‘act of war’. The court was essentially responsible for dispossessing Ngati Whatua from their land at Orakei. In 1869 the court investigated the Orakei block and awarded ownership to thirteen individuals. Four years later the investigation was followed was followed by the issuing of certificates of title, which rendered the Orakei Block ‘inalienable’. Then in 1898 the court partitioned the block and divided it between the thirteen owners or their successors, reserving just forty acres for the Iwi.
The Native Land Court was one the significant outcomes of the Native Lands Act which was introduced in 1965. The court allowed for the conversion of traditional Maori land into individual titles, making it easier to purchase this land. Coming little more than a year after the Waikato War, this legislation was to achieve what many believed had not been accomplished on the battlefield, acquiring the land necessary to satisfy the need for land for new European settlers. The actions of the Land Court affected Māori more than those of any other legislation or law. When contestation issues over land were taken to the court European settlers were likely to benefit. Historian Judith Binney described the Native Lands Act as an ‘act of war’. The court was essentially responsible for dispossessing Ngati Whatua from their land at Orakei. In 1869 the court investigated the Orakei block and awarded ownership to thirteen individuals. Four years later the investigation was followed was followed by the issuing of certificates of title, which rendered the Orakei Block ‘inalienable’. Then in 1898 the court partitioned the block and divided it between the thirteen owners or their successors, reserving just forty acres for the Iwi.