Award-winning author and Pacific historian Pauline Vaeluaga Smith will address the legacy of the Dawn Raids and the government apology in this month’s Dame Dorothy Fraser Lecture. 

The annual event, organised by the Taieri Labour Party, will be held next Sunday, September 13, from 4.30pm-6.30pm at St Paul’s Cathedral. 

Taieri MP Ingrid Leary said, in a statement, she was thrilled to have Ms Vaeluaga Smith as this year’s guest.

“Pauline is an incredible storyteller whose work brings an important part of our history to life. Her writing about the Dawn Raids, the Polynesian Panthers and the apology helps us understand not just what happened, but why that history still matters today,” Ms Leary said.

The Dame Dorothy Fraser Lecture celebrates strong women who have made a difference to New Zealand’s public life.

It honours Dame Dorothy, a much-loved Dunedin community leader and lifelong Labour member who served for decades across local government, health, education and community organisations.

Since former prime minister Helen Clark delivered the first lecture in 2012, speakers have included Helen Kelly, Marilyn Waring, Louise Nicholas, Prof Barbara Brookes, Annette King, Ali Mau, Ginette McDonald and Lianne Dalziel. 

The format will also be a departure from the traditional lecture. Ms Vaeluaga Smith will open with reflections on her work and the stories behind it before joining a panel conversation moderated by Labour deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni.

Panellists will include Dunedin-based Polynesian Panther Mere Montgomery and Ms Vaeluaga Smith’s grandson Brooklyn Taylor, who recently co-wrote Dawn Raid: The Apology with his grandmother. 

“We want it to be an engaging conversation across generations about where we’ve come from and what that history means for New Zealand today — and St Paul’s will be a pretty special place to have it,” Ms Leary said.

Free tickets will be set aside for local secondary school students. General tickets are expected to be around $30 and will include nibbles.

The event serves as a campaign fundraiser for the Taieri Labour Party. — Allied Media