Bastion Point located in central east by the harbour, close to Auckland city centre. The most
expensive houses in New Zealand are just around Bastion Point.
Bastion means strong hold.It was Maori people’s land since 1840. In 1977, the government announced the land at Bastion Point was to be developed for high-income housing, and parks. The Maori people were angry that they occuppied the land for 506 days. They set up tents, shelters and planting their own vegetable even built meeting house. They refused to move to protest and against the government . Finally in 1978,seven hundred police and army evicted the protests, there were 218 people arrested but nobody died.The police and army also destroy the temporary buildings including vegetable gardens. In the end, Government compulsory took the land from Maori people.
In 1980s, New Zealand government formally apolgised and returned the land to Ngati whatua.
