Children's Commissioner says immigration bill fails to reflect lessons of Dawn Raid era

RNZ News

2 hours ago

The Dawn Raids, first introduced by Prime Minister Norman Kirk's Labour government, had overwhelmingly targeted Pacific people in the 1970s.
Photo:
RNZ / Quin Tauetau
The Children's Commission (Mana Mokopuna) in New Zealand says the proposed changes to a new immigration bill do not go far enough and fail to fully reflect lessons learnt from the Dawn Raids.
The
Immigration (Fiscal Sustainability and System Integrity) Amendment Bill
, in its current form, would require additional checks before out-of-hours immigration visits, including judicial warrant authorisation.
Mana Mokopuna commissioner Dr Claire Achmad told the select committee while she welcomed bill's intention, she wanted further provisions.
"That, as a matter of principle, children must not be exposed to out-of-hours immigration operations and that these only be undertaken in the presence of children in very exceptional circumstances, such as when there is a threat of public safety or national security," Achmad said.
She said the amendments represent a significant step towards acknowledging the traumatic history of the Dawn Raids on Pacific families in New Zealand.
"I trust that it is obvious to every single person in this room that an overnight or early morning raid on a child's home without warning, and which results in one or more of their loved ones being taken away and potentially deported, would be and has been, deeply traumatising for children in New Zealand."
She said survivors who were children felt fearful and terrified that they would become parentless. The raids also caused deep embarrassment and fear.
Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad
Photo:
RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
A submission from Mana Mokopuna said the concerns were echoed by representatives of the Chinese and Indian communities.
The Dawn Raids, first introduced by Prime Minister Norman Kirk's Labour government, had overwhelmingly targeted Pacific people in the 1970s, who accounted for 86 percent of related prosecutions despite making up only a third of overstayers.
In 2021, the Jacinda Ardern government apologised for the Dawn Raids era. However, two years later,
a Tongan man
was subjected to a dawn raid.
At the time, his lawyer Sione Foliaki described how police and immigration officers showed up at the family's South Auckland home at 5am.
"The loud banging was heard first by the children. Of course they didn't know it was police. They were terrified...and crying and very, very upset and scared," he told RNZ Pacific.
The Commission's submission said applications for a judicial warrant to conduct out-of-hours entry and search operations should also show all other reasonable alternatives have been considered.