Waitākere College

Dawn Raid Show

Written by Oscar Kightley, Dawn Raids production was a history lesson in the best way.


Last Thursday 54 Nu'u Toa students and 11 staff members traveled into the night, to watch the Dawn Raids production at the ASB Waterfront Theatre. 

The show was set in central Auckland in 1973 and it follows the story of a sāmoan family and their struggles to make Aotearoa their new home.
The main character Sione (Fabian) lived in two worlds. He was first a spirited sāmoan, who worked hard by day at the local factory, and then a wooing Hawaiian-Italian Elvis performer by night, who sang the Elvis classics to keep the political noises out of his mind. It was an emotional journey that resonated with a lot of our students and staff.  

An amazing opportunity to bring the History and Pacific class lessons onto a different platform. Everyone walked away with their own reflections, but we can collectively agree that we were "All shook up" and feel very honored that our history has manifested a pathway for us all to be courageous, caring, and resilient citizens in our community.