A primal response caught up in the idea of hate – Stuff.co.nz

OPINION: The Dawn Raid apology took nothing away from non-Pacific people, while healing the pride and sense of self of an entire community. It uplifted a group without pulling down any others. In fact, it was such a simple political win that the only offensive part was the time it took for New Zealand to make it happen. Forty-eight years and six governments. What an absolute travesty.

Technically Sir Rob Muldoon could have apologised, but he might not have survived the amount of whisky required. David Lange never made it happen, and parts of Mangere still swear he was secretly Tokelauan.

Jim Bolger, forming the first National government after Muldoon, should have done it but the beginning of MMP in New Zealand was a political wild west, and Bolger stayed in the wagon circle till he was tossed out. Dame Jenny Shipley was around just long enough to make history, but spent her brief time in power sacking Winston Peters, attending the Hero Parade, and lowering the alcohol age. All were controversial moves at the time, but history has judged them time well spent.

Helen Clark apologised to Samoa for its colonial treatment by New Zealand, which was a small step forward and to the side (a vintage soft power shuffle from Clark). Sir John Key had the time but perhaps Sir Bill English, as an actual Samoan chief (he carries the title Leuluaialiiotumua from the village Faleula) would have been the most appropriate.

READ MORE:* The dawn raids explained: What drove the Government to target Pasifika people* Dawn raids apology raises questions NZ is not good at answering* Once a Panther: The revolutionary Polynesians who stopped the dawn raids* Before we mock Samoa's democracy, let's take a look at our own

But they were all silent. Not a single one of these vaunted leaders did what needed to be done to address this grievous wrong. Instead, it was left to the person who was born after the Dawn Raids officially ended.

Yet as Jacinda Ardern, current Prime Minister and New Zealands fifth-most important tourism brand, formally apologised on behalf of the Government to the Pacific people for the countrys targeted police raids on their community, a familiar backlash appeared.

Chris McKeen/Stuff

A packed house on Sunday at the Auckland Town Hall for the Governments formal apology for the 1970s Dawn Raids.

This group of miscreants-cum-freedom fighters against the tyranny of Big Sorry believed the apology was a mistake. Moreover, the Pacific Islanders deserved what they got. It wasnt racist to see things that black and white, especially where brown was involved. If someone broke the rules then they needed to be punished, unless, strangely, those rules involved staying in lockdown or wearing a mask. The law is right until the Government is wrong, and if the Government is wrong then any action against it must be right. Righteousness will always trump irony.

The events of Sunday afternoon were reframed by these wisened folk as some sort of woke victory, empty actions for brownie points. It seemed completely lost on them that Woke Victory sounds exactly like an operation name the 70s police would have used when arresting and deporting Pacific people while the sun came up. Never mind the police saw the trauma and did not stop for years. Never mind the government of the time knew and did not care.

CHRIS MCKEEN/Stuff

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern apologising on Sunday, on behalf of the Government, for the dawn raids.

The Dawn Raids apology was, to the miscreant mind, simply a distraction. They saw it as typical lefty posturing from the Stalin of the South, the Marxist from Morrinsville, the Trotsky of Thorndon, Jacinderella Adolfern. Or was it Jacindy Maodern? Japoleon Lennindern? Maybe Ja-thanos Volderdern for the kids? The point of the name is to make it clear that the current PM is ridiculously scary or scarily ridiculous. It can be hard to tell.

Having citizens be passionately angry about the leader of their country is older than Democracy, and probably an essential part of it. What is striking, though, and somewhat sad, is the way in which this hate seeps into and overrides their ability to be compassionate to others. Perhaps the dopamine rush from social validation is simply too strong, too intoxicating with its instant delivery of fleeting relevance. Or maybe people are just d..... Regardless, it is a hate that goes beyond catharsis, into need.

Ross Giblin/Stuff

James Nokise: What is striking, though, and somewhat sad, is the way in which this hate seeps into and overrides their ability to be compassionate to others.

Even that isnt new. People needed to hate John Key, Helen Clark, Jenny Shipley, and every leader as far back as Richard King Dick Seddon. Ironically, that nickname could go either way in modern times. David Langes Labour-ish government was so charismatic, they managed to be loved and hated by both sides of the political spectrum at the same time. This was of course before Twitter was able to sort people into their allocated political alignment with the nuance of a Wellington barista, from latte bowl to triple espresso and everyone in between.

There are people who genuinely hate Jacinda Ardern as though she personally poisoned the All Blacks before the 1995 World Cup final; an irrational, fantastical, almost primal response more caught up in the idea of hate than any hate of ideas. It overpowers their love of Pacific people in Aotearoa, even their friend they see down at the shops.

And dont get them started on Aotearoa.

James Nokise is a New Zealand comedian, playwright, and podcaster of Samoan/Welsh heritage.

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A primal response caught up in the idea of hate - Stuff.co.nz