New Zealand invaded German Samoa in 1914, and ruled it until 1962. During this time New Zealand 's introduction of Spanish influenza killed 25 percent of the Samoan population in the space of a couple of weeks. Faced with growing Samoan calls for independence New Zealand responded violently, gunning down eight people in the streets of Apia, including high chief Tupua Tamasese, in 1929.
In 2002 Prime Minister Helen Clark went to Samoa and offered a formal apology for the events. Black Saturday relates the story of New Zealand 's rule, from military invasion to Helen Clark's apology. Extracts… No monument marks the spot where a Samoan prince strode into a deadly melee, calling for peace and patience.
His arms were high and his back was to the rifle toting policemen. The man dressed in white was 100 metres away but one of the policemen shot and mortally wounded him. Nine people died on the corner of Beach and 'Ifi'ifi roads, 50 were wounded and yet few, even among Samoans, have much idea now of the catastrophe.
Some of the buildings are still there; the attractive two-storeyed wooden administration office on the corner, with its old flagpole. From there the Germans had run Samoa.
On that spot New Zealand hauled up the Union Jack to open its blighted rule. Just a couple of years after that little military ceremony, an administrative blunder led to the death of one in every four Samoans.
Amidst all the gunfire Tupua Tamasese came running through the ranks of the parade toward the front calling 'filemu, filemu' (peace, peace). Dressed in a white jacket and white lavalava, carrying a rolled-up umbrella and holding both his arms high in the air, Tupua Tamasese walked into the open intersection calling out in Samoan and English, 'Filemu Samoa, peace Samoa'.
Standing between a lamppost and the administration office in 'Ifi'ifi Road, just back from the intersection, he called up Beach Road to the oncoming Mau, 'uma, uma … onosa'i, onosa'i' (finish, be patient).
Another witness said he called out to the Mau, 'They are few. We are many. They are guests in our country.' As he made his desperate appeal, McMillan, Cahil or Spark aimed a Lee Enfield rifle at his back and pulled the trigger.
The 303 bullet struck him in the upper right thigh, chewed its way through the muscle
and shattered the femur and pelvis. Tupua Tamasese collapsed to the ground in great pain.