Prime Minister says sorry - 4th August 2021

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said sorry to the Pacific people in New Zealand.

Police arrested many Pacific peoples in the 1970s. They went into people's homes early in the mornings. They woke them up with dogs. They arrested them. They wanted them to leave New Zealand.

Jacinda Ardern: "Today, I stand on behalf of the New Zealand government to offer a formal and unreserved apology to Pacific communities for the discriminatory implementation of the immigration laws of the 1970s that led to the events of the Dawn Raids."

After World War Two, New Zealand needed workers. They welcomed people from the Pacific, Europe and USA.

But in the 1970s, there weren't enough jobs. People said Pacific workers were the problem.

Many workers were in the country too long. People wanted the Pacific peoples to leave. The police arrested many of them.

Jacinda Ardern: "Our government conveys to the future generations of Aotearoa that the past actions of the Crown were wrong, and that the treatment of your ancestors was wrong. We convey to you our deepest and sincerest apology."

Ardern wants to stop racism. She apologised to the Pacific people of the country. She wants them to feel welcome.