‘Love, humility, drama and intention’: Dawn Raids takes to the capital

A show that revisits a shameful period of 1970s New Zealand, where the government cracked down on overstayers, is playing to Wellington audiences this week but for two days only.

Arts Foundation Laureate, actor, writer, director, and comedian, Oscar Kightley MNZM, opens the third season of his widely-acclaimed show Dawn Raids at the Wellington Opera House tonight.

Kightley wrote the play in 1997, and audiences then were still raw from the trauma of what happened 20 years earlier.

But many felt the power and need to keep our stories in the light and in 2021, Dawn Raids played in Christchurch, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Polynesian Panthers.

It also had an Auckland season the following year and Kightley says Wellington has always been in mind.

“I always wanted it to come to Wellington but the years went by and we didn’t manage to. And then after the recent apology from the previous government, I think that put the issue of the Dawn Raids back on the consciousness.”

As part of the Labour-led government’s Dawn Raid apology in 2021, CreativeNZ had a one-off funding initiative allocated to support Pacific organisations or people in New Zealand’s creative sector to “undertake large-scale professional artistic and historical works that capture and reflect community experiences of the Dawn raids” for 2024 projects.

Kightley says that fund was “invaluable” to carry out the Wellington season.

“Back in the day, Wellington was it for theatre, so I’m glad that all these years later we finally get to bring that play to Wellington.”

Kightley spent the ‘90s researching and interviewing families affected and adapted those heavily emotional and traumatic stories for the stage while weaving in his trademark humour.

Kightley says hilarity is rooted in a sort of cultural performative activism, making light of macabre moments.

“I think that’s the trademark humour that Pacific people have. As a Sāmoan performer, I was always inspired by faleaitu and that tradition of performers going from village to village back in the day in Sāmoa.

“Performing hilarious plays that pretty much ripped authority and kind of shot down all the sacred cows. So that was the style that I always liked.

“We find humour in tragic circumstances and I think humour has many functions. But I think Pacific people in New Zealand, in particular, use it as a coping mechanism because of our status as minorities.

“It wasn’t hard really it’s just…if this play doesn't have a laugh soon I’m just going to kill myself,” Kightley teases.

He has not seen a play written like this “in a while” and it’s a chance for both our people and non-Pasifika to confront a “horrible thing” through something made with “love, humility, drama and intention”.

Presented by the legendary theatre collective, Pacific Underground, and co-developed with Auckland Theatre Company, Dawn Raids plays at the Wellington Opera House on 23-24 October.

Show timings: 23 October - 7.30pm, 24 October - 11am & 7.30pm

Tickets can be booked here.