Joe Hawke was a young boy when his people were forcibly removed from the place he knew as home; the Ngāti Whātua papakāinga at Ōkahu Bay, which was burned to the ground in a move regarded by the government of the day as the best resolution. The destruction of the papakāinga was one of numerous events dating back to the nineteenth century which saw successive governments gradually and deliberately wrest Ngāti Whātua of Ōrākei from their lands. In 1977, Joe Hawke was a family man when he led the 507-day occupation of Bastion Point.  The two events are indelibly linked not only to each other but also to Joe’s life.  "He Aha te Hau e Wawa Ra" is the history of one man’s multi-layered life, organised by his memories, experiences of the past, and evolving visions for the future. Joe’s is also a life that simultaneously sits inside a range of social and political contexts.  It spans a period of great change, not just for Māori but also for Aotearoa New Zealand. The book will view Joe through his whakapapa, early life, education and youth.  It will give due attention to family life, and will include the views of those with whom Joe has associated over the years, and engage with the views of his adversaries.

Outputs

Publications
•    Conference paper – ‘Biography as Balancing Act: Life According to Joe and the Rules of Historical Method’, Indigenous Lives: Indigenous Biography and Autobiography, Australian National University, Canberra, 9-12 July, 2007.
•    Conference paper – ‘Passionate About Subjectivity’, (Invited speaker). Conditions of Settler Colonialism: a symposium, Chicago Centre for Contemporary Theory, University of Chicago, Chicago, USA, April 25-26 2008.
•    Essay – ‘Biography as Balancing Act: Life According to Joe and the Rules of Historical Method’. In press, Journal of Aboriginal History .