Teu le Va - Dawn Raids History Community Fund Round Two

The objectives of the fund were to:

• Allow for healing through storytelling, for those impacted by the Dawn Raids
• Raise awareness of racism and discrimination in New Zealand
• Increase understanding and appreciation of the history of Pacific communities in New Zealand
• Inform the development of educational resources about the Dawn Raids
• Ensure Pacific languages, cultures, and identities in New Zealand thrive.

Preference was given to initiatives that:

• Are ready or near ready to commence upon receiving funding
• Will work with people and/or communities that were directly impacted by the Dawn Raids
• Will work with people who had their homes raided and/or were stopped on the street and asked to produce their passport or permit during the Dawn Raids period
• Will work with, or be led by, Pacific persons or Pacific community groups directly impacted by the Dawn Raids.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, significant migration from the Pacific region to New Zealand was encouraged to meet domestic labour shortages in manufacturing and primary production industries. Many Pacific people travelled to New Zealand on temporary visas under various work schemes. Due to the labour shortages at the time, the enforcement of these visas was largely relaxed.

However, at the downturn of the New Zealand economy in the early 1970s, parts of society started viewing migrants as jeopardising their financial security and quality of life. These views were fuelled by less than favourable media portrayals targeting Pacific peoples particularly as the cause for job shortages and other social harms.

Between 1974 and 1976, a series of rigorous immigration enforcement policies were carried out which resulted in Immigration and Police officials conducting targeted raids on the homes of Pacific families. The raids to find, convict, and deport overstayers often took place very early in the morning or late at night. This gave rise to the term the “Dawn Raids.”

Throughout this period, a Police taskforce was also set up to carry out random checks in public, stopping and requiring people to provide evidence that they were legally in New Zealand.

On 1 August 2021, the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Jacinda Ardern issued an apology on behalf of the New Zealand Government for the Dawn Raids. As a goodwill gesture of reconciliation, the Government committed to support the development of a comprehensive historical record of account of the Dawn Raids period.

Applications closed on 10 March 2023.

To be eligible, applicants must have: 

• Been a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand.

This fund has now closed.

See a summary of successful Round One initiatives.

The Teu le Va - Dawn Raids History Community Fund Round Two - was available to one-off initiatives that:

• Contribute to the fund’s objectives
• Align with any or all of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples Pacific Aotearoa Lalanga Fou goals
• Generate, preserve, raise awareness, and/or pass on Pacific knowledge, experiences, and histories of the Dawn Raids
• Could be delivered successfully within 12 months of receiving funding (by 7 April 2024).

Applicants were encouraged to share their initiative with the public where possible and/or appropriate

A range of storytelling methods were considered, such as:

• Written and/or oral history collection – including audio and visual, and using ethnic-specific methods like talanoa
• Music, dance or performing arts – including live or recorded
• Visual or graphic arts, including sculptures, paintings, exhibitions, moving image
• Other creative art forms.

Applicants could use grants to purchase or hire relevant equipment, such as sound or video recording devices, and provide small amounts of koha to participants.

Applicants could also use grants to pay for wages, salaries and travel related to the initiative, however this was capped at 20 percent of the total amount granted and was at the discretion of the assessment panel.

The Teu le Va - Dawn Raids History Community Fund Round Two would not fund:

• Initiatives that only benefit or support one individual
• For-profit activities
• Initiatives that are not aligned with the priorities of this fund
• Initiatives and services that duplicate existing work / services
• Work that has already been completed (the work on your initiative must be ongoing after the closing date for applications)
• Initiatives that are the general responsibility of other sectors (such as school and tertiary- based programmes which are the primary responsibility of the Ministry of Education, the New Zealand Qualification Authority and Tertiary Education Commission)
• Initiatives that are eligible for funding from tertiary institutions or for university theses
• Initiatives funded by institutions like museums unless they are largely volunteer run and minimally funded from regional or national sources
• Initiatives and activities delivered solely overseas including the New Zealand realm countries
• Fixed assets and capital expenditure
• Debt repayment or debt servicing.

Successful fund recipients were asked to complete monthly progress updates, a six-month progress report, and a final accountability report for their initiative that will include:

• Evidence of (progress towards) the achievement of your initiative outcomes
• Community impact and reach of your initiative
• Lessons learnt from your work
• How your funds were spent.

Applicants were encouraged to share their initiative with the public where possible and/or appropriate.
Consideration was given to how applicants propose to store and preserve works when assessing proposals.

Examples of archival storage settings include:

• Donating a copy of a physical or digital initiative to libraries like the Alexander Turnbull Library, regional libraries, or museums.
• Storing an initiative within a community archive.

The Ministry for Pacific Peoples sought permission from fund recipients to host a record of the initiative on an online platform and publish names of recipients and summaries of successful initiatives on our website and social media channels.

See our frequently asked questions about the fund.

If you need more information about the Teu le Va - Dawn Raids History Community Fund Round Two, please email [email protected].