McDowall JamesDr JAMES McDOWALL (ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker. Talofa lava mālō e lelei bula vinaka kia ora koutou katoa. I rise on behalf of the ACT Party in support of the apology to our Pacific communities for the trauma and injustice of the Dawn Raids in the 1970s. The Dawn Raids were the result of State-enforced policies that were violently imposed undoubtedly racist and totally unjustified. That era was a terrible example of the power of the State to persecute and to humiliate people who were simply here to answer the call to fill workforce shortages and to strive towards a better life for their families.Those that came to this country had to grapple with short-sighted immigration policies that were almost designed to fail and I applaud them for their perseverance and their forgiveness. For those targeted the fear that your family could be next in line to being raided in the middle of the night must have been horrendous especially when you knew what was coming: dogs barking batons at the ready megaphones blaring and children being traumatised in the process. This is a deeply shameful part of our nation's history.However I think it's also important to note that we're not here to demonise police officers who were ultimately acting upon the policies introduced by the third Labour Government and continued into the third National Government. From ACT's perspective immigration policy should be comprised of liberal values including the non-aggression principle and freedom of movement. The role of the Government should be to protect people from force not to carry it out on them. Instead what New Zealand saw in the 1970s and well afterwards was State-sanctioned harassment a Papers please." culture and bureaucrats wrecking the dream of living and thriving in New Zealand. The effects of this era are still felt today and there are many in our Pacific communities who have overstayed their visas and in some cases by decades. They are understandably terrified at the prospect of submitting a request for a visa under section 61 of the Immigration Act because they know that if they are unsuccessful they will almost certainly be arrested and deported. They also know that they could be putting their family members at risk under the Immigration Act. I urge the Government to work with our Pacific communities and develop a way forward for people in these situations. When the topic of deportation comes up I often think of a former associate of mine. Some years ago he had an accident while out exercising and he broke his arm unfortunately. He went to hospital to get treatment and naturally his immigration status was checked. Sadly he had overstayed his visa and out of pride he had never discussed it with anyone or asked for help. He was arrested at the hospital detained and a few days later was deported. This was not under the Immigration Act 1964; this was under the Immigration Act 2009—the current one. Although much has changed since the inhumanity of the Dawn Raids we still have a long way to go. ACT absolutely supports the apology that we are discussing today. But just as with the poll tax a New Zealand Government finds itself apologising for immigration policies of the past. I do wonder when we'll be apologising for the horrendous consequences of our current immigration policies. I once again acknowledge the perseverance of our Pacific communities and most of all their dignity and humility. Despite the enduring scars of that era they have worked hard to create opportunities find success and have added a huge amount of positivity and culture to New Zealand. I sincerely hope that this apology from the Government and the House of Representatives at large helps to heal the wounds of the past and finally closes this chapter of New Zealand's history. Thank you Madam Speaker."