Geoff Parker: Bastion Point, Rewritten History, and the Politics of Permanent Grievance

Hana Pera Aoake’s article in The Post reads less like history and more like advocacy presented as reflection. It leans heavily on symbolism and emotion while relying on selective memory and the omission of inconvenient facts—choices that serve a predetermined grievance narrative rather than an honest accounting of the past.

Start with Bastion Point itself. In 1886, 5.3 hectares of land were acquired under the Public Works Act for declared military purposes. This was neither a confiscation nor an unpaid seizure. Ngāti Whātua received £1,500 in compensation—roughly equivalent to about NZ$570,000 in today’s terms. On a per‑hectare basis, that payment was approximately twice the median value of today’s undeveloped New Zealand farmland. By any reasonable standard, the compensation was generous. Calling this “theft” obscures the basic facts: it was a lawful acquisition, accompanied by substantial payment.

Insights From Social Media:

Only the beginning of maori rule - by Unknown

Prior to European settlement, Maori squatted on land and resources until a stronger tribe invaded, killed and ate them. If their own tribe was stronger they invaded, killed and ate their neighbours. Thus Maori existed in a cycle of genocidal warfare amongst themselves and effectively owned nothing. Land and resources belonged fleetingly to whoever had the ability to seize or defend it successfully at a particular point in time.