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Terror in Our Midst: Searching for Terrorism in Aotearoa New Zealand 2007
On 15 October 2007, 300 hundred police officers dressed in full riot gear raided the township of Ruatoki, which lies at the northern end of the Ureweras. At the same time Ruatoki was being locked-down, police raids were taking place in other parts of the country. By the end of the day, 17 people were reported as 4 in Wellington, 6 in Auckland, 1 in Palmerston North, 1 in Hamilton, and 5 in the Bay of Plenty area. The "global war on terror," launched in the U.S. five years earlier, had finally arrived in New Zealand.
340 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2008
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July 28, 2023
This is a generally very readable academic collection about the 2007 police raids in New Zealand, which accused a number of people - most visibly, members of Tūhoe - of terrorism. The absolutely ham-handed way in which these raids were conducted, and the eventual dropping of the charges, were a national scandal. This collection, written primarily by Māori scholars, focuses mostly on the events at Ruatoki, and puts them into a context of coercive policing in NZ. I have to say that the first section, consisting of several chapters on the specific history of police and political interference regarding Tūhoe, was very useful indeed. Not being familiar with a lot of the historical context there - and isn't that disgraceful, given that I'm from NZ (I remember learning more about the industrial revolution in England during social studies at school than I did anything about my own country) - this was disappointingly necessary.
I think my favourite chapter, though, was "Tūhoe and 'Terrorism' on Television News" by Sue Abel, which analysed news coverage of the raids, and made some very clear distinctions as to how the different news organisations reported these events. This is the type of thing that should be taught in today's social studies classes... it would have been a damn sight more useful and relevant than what I got.
I think my favourite chapter, though, was "Tūhoe and 'Terrorism' on Television News" by Sue Abel, which analysed news coverage of the raids, and made some very clear distinctions as to how the different news organisations reported these events. This is the type of thing that should be taught in today's social studies classes... it would have been a damn sight more useful and relevant than what I got.
Displaying 1 of 1 review