After almost 50 years, the Government is set to apologise for the dawn raids of the 1970s that terrified the Pacific community.
Newshub understands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will announce details of a Government apology for the Dawn Raids at her post-Cabinet press conference.
Started by Labour and continued when Sir Robert Muldoon's National took over later that decade, the raids saw Polynesians targeted by police - despite most overstayers being European/Pakeha, according to the Government's New Zealand History website.
People weren't just accosted in their homes - they were also stopped on the streets and asked for documents, "anything that proved a person's right to be in the country".
In April, a renewed call for a formal state apology was made.
"We are seeking formal recognition of an era of blatant racism from the New Zealand government, so that we can be sure that it will never happen again,” Melani Anae, a founding member of the Polynesian Panthers, told the Guardian.
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio told Newshub Nation last month he was still considering whether to issue a formal apology, and was taking his time to consider all the issues.
"This is important because you're asking the present Government to apologise for something that occurred 50 years ago. I need to be able to look at all angles of that to be able to determine what recommendation I would make to the Government."
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Polynesian Panthers, a social justice movement formed to push back against racial inequalities carried out against indigenous Māori and Pacific Islanders.
