Adrian Solomon-Maere said it's 'unreal' to be back protesting at the Bridge of Remembrance Photo: RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon
It was a moment if déjà vu for Adrian Solomon-Maere when he stepped under the arch of Christchurch's Bridge of Remembrance.
Last Wednesday, Ōtautahi had their Hīkoi mō te Tiriti activation to oppose ACT's Treaty Principles Bill. However, Solomon-Maere has stood in the same place before while protesting the 'Treaty of Fraud'.
"I come back from Australia after [more than] 35 years and it's still happening. We're still protesting under the Bridge of Remembrance. It's unreal."
The Treaty of Fraud protest saw many ascend the ANZAC memorial bridge in solidarity with those at Bastion Point during the late 1970's early 1980's movement.
This time, Solomon-Maere looked through the arch towards the crowd of a thousand plus and began to well up.
The 'wairua' of the crowd took him to another place and left him speechless.
"I can feel it, I don't have to say anything... beautiful.
"It shows that Māori can be noticed."
Solomon-Maere isn't just a man with a growing passion for te ao Māori, he's reconnecting with his heritage after being forced to start a new life from scratch.
That's because he's a 501 deportee.
"I made one little mistake.
"I spent three years in an Australian immigration detention [facility], two-and-a-half years on Christmas Island."
The Detention Centre on the island - which is closer to Indonesia than Australia - has a history of opening and closing after many protests and being deemed 'inadequate' and 'too isolated' by the Australia Human Rights Commission. It has now been shut since 2023.
Solomon-Maere said he was the oldest detainee during his time there.
A new life
He still remembers his first interview with Mihingarangi Forbes in 2019 who was working for The Hui at the time.
It was an interview he couldn't finish because he was struck by the sudden "forever" change.
Since then he has featured on many news sites - domestic and international - as well as being involved with many seminars on 501 deportees.
But it has been four years since being cut off from Australia, and he still misses it dearly.
A father and a koro - he can't "just hop on a plane" to see his children and grandchildren because of the mistake he made.
"I'm used to home now; I finally think I'm home. It's taken me a while though."
It's a void he cannot fill, and striving towards connection adds many layers of emotions, so for him to see Māori come together puts the band-aid over his struggles.
"When I see things like [the activation], I feel at home."
The Kahungunu descendant now resides in Ōtautahi and finds solace in seeing tamariki take charge in historical events such as the hīkoi to Parliament, which concluded on Tuesday.
"It's good for our tamariki," he said.