New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern officially apologized in a ceremony yesterday for the humiliation of migrants in the 1970s. “I stand here to represent those who have harmed you.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has apologized in four languages – Maori, Tongan, Samoan and English – to treat the migrants, The Guardian writes.
“It was terrible,” people who experienced the raids at the time said during the ceremony yesterday. “Sometimes it happened at night around 3 or 4 am, there was a bang on the door, and the police came in. Kids in the neighbourhood made racist jokes. My family still can’t talk about it, and we were so ashamed of it. “
No amount of rain can remove the bitter salt from the ocean waters,” the Prime Minister said. “I ask for our spiritual connection to ease the pain and ask for forgiveness on this day.”
Ardern said the effects of the raids are being felt to this day. “It is vividly etched in the memories of those who were directly involved, and trust in the authorities has been damaged to this day,” she said.
“Today, I stand here on behalf of the New Zealand government to offer a formal and unconditional apology for the discriminatory practices that led to the down raids,” the Prime Minister said.
Her apologies are reinforced with some measures. For example, Ardern promises an amount of more than 3 million New Zealand dollars (1.76 million euros) in study grants for residents of the islands.
In addition, the humiliating police actions must be included in New Zealand history lessons and artists from the islands are given a budget to record the humiliation.