20 ‘dawn raids’ in 10-month period

There were 20 ‘dawn raids’ in the last 10 months, new information from the Government shows, including two involving police. Information provided under the Official Information Act shows despite a Government apology for doing immigration compliance work before 7am or after 9pm, officials continue to do it. Communities have until tomorrow to have their say on dawn raids, after an independent review into their use was launched in May following news a man had been ‘dawn raided’ at home in South Auckland in April. There were 20 dawn raids – or ‘out-of-hours’ site visits – by immigration officials between July 2022 and April 2023. Josiah Tualamali’i petitioned the Government to apologise for its 1970s dawn raid era that largely targeted Pasifika people. After a long campaign, the Government did exactly that, in August 2021, with a ceremony that included former prime minister Jacinda Ardern performing a traditional Samoan apology called an ifoga. But after news the practice was still going, Tualamali’i asked Immigration NZ for details on who has been dawn raided and when.