Auckland, NEW ZEALAND — The first official celebration of the New Zealand government's apology for the Dawn Raids was an emotional affair at the Orakei Marae complex in Auckland last week.

More than 200 guests, predominately Pasifika, attended the event hosted by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Speeches were delivered by community leaders including Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito Williams Sio and Defence Minister Peeni Henare.

It's been more than four decades since the events of the Dawn Raids in the 1970s, and the trauma still lives for many in the older generation, who as children saw their homes raided by police. Aupito Williams Sio was one of them.

"Those were bad days," Sio said. He was only 12 years old when he saw police threaten and interrogate his father.

"There was a lot of commotion in the early hours of the morning around 4am. As I came out of my bedroom, I saw my dad standing at the doorway with my mum clutching his arm and massaging his back, with those words "onosai, onosai" — "be patient, be patient", while the policemen were standing there, a number of them shining a torch in his eyes and they had dogs... basically demanding to see passports and demanding to know who was inside the house.

"Suddenly there was commotion outside. We had relatives living in the garage at the time working and the police were chasing them down the creek in the backyard.

"The elders later went down to the Ōtāhuhu police station and asked if they could release them [relatives], and they weren't released. One of my cousins who was jailed told me that everybody was crying, it was men and women, including a pregnant woman.

"We can talk about it now without the tears flowing so much but it's still very painful, still hurtful."

It was called a celebration today, but the hushed emotional atmosphere made the ceremony feel more like an Anzac Day commemoration event.

Among the delegations of community leaders were young Pasifika students' leaders, civil servants and social advocates, all present at the marae to honour the victims of the past. It was clear that last year's apology by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern meant a lot to them, bringing closure to many still impacted by a dark period of New Zealand history.

Earlier this year, the New Zealand government allocated $13.7 million dollars with the request of the Ministry of Pacific Peoples for a "Dawn Raids historical package."

The package, which has drawn criticism from some about the need for the project, aimed to create greater awareness of the Dawn Raids including making historical accounts of the events more available in the education sector. Sio said it was about promoting tolerance, diversity and acceptance.

"I'd like to see us as a nation take it seriously and acknowledge that racism hurts, acknowledge that racism is mana destroying and that fact that this occurred in the 1970s, but our young people today are still talking about it.

"They're experiencing it in the education system, they're experiencing it in the workplace and the health system. So today as we pivot towards the future...we need to resolve the issue of racism collectively.

"We're not a mono-culture nation. We're a diverse nation emerging like a wave. When you reflect on the Christchurch massacre, it's [racism] bad. When you reflect on people talking about unconscious bias and inequities, that's also bad. More has to happen and it has to happen faster.

"It represents how we should learn from our past but also how we should be optimistic for our future."

STUDENT FEELS 'BLESSED'

The conclusion of the ceremony included the Tuli Takes Flight Scholarship awards ceremony, with scholarships given to over a dozen young Pasifika from high schools and tertiary institutions from around the country.

"Obviously, I feel blessed. Not everyone has this opportunity so I'm just glad that I'm doing my parents and family proud. Hopefully it inspires the next generation to do the same as me or better," said Moana Foliaki, a med student from the University of Otago.

Michael Taylor, an engineering student from the University of Canterbury, said the awards ceremony was a celebration of the future as much as it was an acknowledgement of the past.

"It's a very special award. It represents how we should learn from our past but also how we should be optimistic for our future. I'm pursuing a career in science and technology. I believe it's a step towards shining a light on the potential for Pasifika students to pursue degrees," Taylorsaid.

"It was a very traumatic event for our ancestors in the past, a lot of hurt and pain still lingering today, but with these awards hopefully you know it's a step towards making amends and letting us be optimistic for the future of Pasifika people."