Kua uhia te kapua pōuri ki runga o Maungakiekie, kua tau te kahu taratara ki runga i ngā uri o Tuperiri, otirā, ki ngā iwi o te motu.

Manatū Taonga acknowledges the passing of Joe Hawke nō Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Known for his quiet tenacity in leading the occupation of Takaparawhau Bastion Point, in response to the Crown’s intention to develop the land for luxury apartments. The occupation began in January 1977 and lasted for 506 days before police and army personnel forcibly removed Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and their supporters from their land. It remains one of the most famous protest movements and most infamous state interventions in Aotearoa history.

The mangopare design that became synonymous with the occupation was designed by Hawke and signified the unified strength of the movement. The rendering of the mangopare in white, is said to have represented the purity of the fight by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Ten years after the occupation, the Waitangi Tribunal recommended that the land be returned to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.

Hawke’s leadership places him alongside those of other protest leaders including Dame Whina Cooper and Tuaiwa Eva Rickard who tirelessly advocated for the return of Māori land and the full expression of Māori rights. Alongside Dame Whina, Hawke worked as the Secretary of Te Roopū o te Matakite who led the Māori Land March of 1975.

A kaupapa-driven man, Hawke held true to the idea that it is not about the individual but collective needs. In a kōrero with his daughter Sharon Hawke on Te Tai Whakaea Treaty Settlement Stories, Hawke shares how the Takaparawhau occupation was supported by other iwi from across the motu before ending with a final message: “Combined victory is very, very, very sweet. E kite ana koutou katoa, i haere mai nei, ki konei, ki tēnei marae, tino pai te ngākau. Tēnā koutou katoa.”

Marama Royal, chair of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei trust board described his passing as a “sad day for Māoridom and a sad day for Aotearoa – it was the love, aroha and humility that he had as a man that will never be forgotten.” Few would disagree. Deputy Prime Minister, Grant Robertson, acknowledged Hawke as “a man of immense courage and mana, a totara of Ngāti Whātua.” In 2008, he became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Māori and the community.

E te rangatira kua whetūrangitia, moe mai rā. Koutou hoki rā o te whānau pani, kei a koutou ā mātou whakaaro.