May: The Maori Land Occupation of Bastion Point
I was swotting for exams on the third floor of the University Library when I saw the helicopters hovering over Bastion Point. Later that night I watched the television footage. I was cynical enough to disbelieve the Government’s justification for the eviction and was amazed at the enormous number of police personnel. I was intrigued though by the commitment of both Maori and Pakeha to their makeshift accommodation, and didn’t really understand what it all meant.
Two years later I stood on Bastion Point with a group of theological students who had joined the protest. I now knew a little more history than before, and had caught a whiff of that foul odour called injustice. But mainly I had come because people I respected were there. People like Harvey Ruru, Rob Ritchie, and Peter Charlton-Jones. I can’t remember much more about that particular protest, but I was glad that someone big like Harvey was there, so I could hide behind him when the cops came!
I was glad too that the cross was there. I suppose some might think that the cross symbolized Christian triumphalism, but it seemed to me that there, at the Point, it was right at home.
Comments via Facebook