New Zealand apologises to members of Pacific Island community for historic raids

Jacinda Ardern is hugged during a ceremony in Auckland (Brett Phibbs/New Zealand Herald via AP)

New Zealand’s Prime Minister has formally apologised for a racially charged part of the nation’s history, known as the Dawn Raids.

The events saw Pacific Island people targeted for deportation in the mid-1970s during aggressive home raids by authorities to find, convict and deport overstayers. The raids often took place very early in the morning or late at night.