Prime Minister says sorry - 4th August 2021

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, has apologised to the Pacific people of the country.

In the 70s, police went into their homes with dogs. They woke them up and arrested them in the early morning. These were called "dawn raids". The police wanted to send them back to the Pacific islands.

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."

New Zealand had welcomed Americans, Europeans and Pacific peoples after World War Two. The country needed more people for work.

But in the 1970s, there were problems with the economy. New workers were blamed. People thought they were taking away jobs from New Zealanders.

They wanted Pacific people from Samoa, Tonga and Fiji to leave because their visas expired.

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 end racism in New Zealand. She hopes that her apology will help the Pacific communities of the country.