WEBVTT - The Māori Fight for Liberation: Part 1 Ft. Andrew 0:00:05.160 --> 0:00:09.600 Hello, and welcome to it could happen here. I'm Andrew 0:00:09.800 --> 0:00:12.520 of Digi Channel andrewism and. 0:00:13.280 --> 0:00:16.880 Hi, this is this is Garrison. I've not been on 0:00:16.920 --> 0:00:18.120 an Andrew episode in a while. 0:00:18.920 --> 0:00:21.360 Yeah, it's beIN a minute, spin a minute, and it's 0:00:21.400 --> 0:00:27.240 been a meme at this point that Aotra or New 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:33.040 Zealand is forgotten, you know, from maps, both physical and mental. 0:00:34.159 --> 0:00:38.120 But those islands contain a rich history of activism that 0:00:38.200 --> 0:00:39.600 deserves this spotlight. 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:39.920 You know. 0:00:41.440 --> 0:00:44.839 Much of what I've discovered has been sounds. The academic 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:48.479 efforts of Taya who and I hope I'm saying the 0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:52.880 name correctly, but their research found formed the foundation of 0:00:54.280 --> 0:00:58.440 my exploration of just some of the twentieth century history 0:00:58.480 --> 0:01:06.800 behind contemporary Maori struggles for autonomy on the islands. The 0:01:06.840 --> 0:01:10.840 story of Mari oppression begins not long after the arrival 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:14.240 of European settlers in the late eighteenth century. The Treaty 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:17.080 of Waitangi, signed in eighteen forty between the British Crown 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:20.120 and Mari chiefs, was meant to protect Maori rights and 0:01:20.160 --> 0:01:25.080 the ensure a peaceful co existence. However, as a bilingual text, 0:01:26.000 --> 0:01:28.600 it kind of sucked at being bilingual because some of 0:01:28.600 --> 0:01:31.920 the words in the English treaty did not translate directly 0:01:32.000 --> 0:01:34.640 into the written Maori language at the time, and so 0:01:34.720 --> 0:01:36.720 the Mari text is not an exact translation of the 0:01:36.800 --> 0:01:39.679 English text, partically in relation to the meaning of having 0:01:40.080 --> 0:01:44.959 and seeding sovereignty. In other words, the full implications of 0:01:45.080 --> 0:01:49.120 what they were signing was not fully understood. The concept 0:01:49.160 --> 0:01:52.800 of private land ownership as the British understood it clashed 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:56.960 with Maori communal land practices, which led to a significant 0:01:57.040 --> 0:02:01.000 land loss for Maria communities. The New Zealand month implemented 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:05.800 policies and laws that systematically favored European settlers and throught 0:02:05.800 --> 0:02:08.760 the latter half of the nineteenth century, Mari lost control 0:02:08.840 --> 0:02:11.240 of much of the land they had owned, sometimes through 0:02:11.360 --> 0:02:14.720 legitimate sale, but often by way of unfaired land deals, 0:02:14.960 --> 0:02:17.919 settlers occupying land that had not been sold, or through 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:21.520 outright confiscation. In the aftermath of the New Zealand Wars 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:24.080 and New Zealand Wars, where they also run as the 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:27.160 Land Wars or Mari Wars, were a series of conflicts 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:30.400 that took place in Auti Aura between the indigenous married 0:02:30.400 --> 0:02:33.519 people and the British government and its colonial forces. These 0:02:33.560 --> 0:02:36.399 wars banned from the early eighteen forties to the late 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:40.120 eighteen seventies, and the underlying cause was that very struggles 0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:43.919 for land and resources as European settlers were arriving in 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:47.399 increasing numbers and more and more dispute ceteris and over 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:50.520 land ownership and the interpretation of the Treaty of Watangi. 0:02:52.400 --> 0:02:55.359 The wars were fought on multiple fronts involving different married 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:59.560 tribes and regions. Conflicts included the Northern War, the Tehranki, 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:03.800 the Taranaki Wars, the Wakaito War, and the Tauranga Campaign, 0:03:04.120 --> 0:03:07.959 and these were also characterized by a combination of gorilla warfare, fortifications, 0:03:08.000 --> 0:03:13.079 and conventional military tactics. The results, as with pretty much 0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:16.679 all wars, was the disruption of well, in this case 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:21.640 specifically traditional Marii social structures and economic systems, and the 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:27.520 results and hardship for those Mari communities and so As 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:31.320 the nineteen and twentieth century progressed, Mari oppressioned also manifest 0:03:31.400 --> 0:03:34.120 in the suppression of cultural practices and languages by the 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:37.600 government as a government aimed to assimilate Mari into European 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:42.080 culture because of course, to them European culture is considered superior. 0:03:42.800 --> 0:03:46.200 Married children were often forced into English speaking schools where 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:49.280 their own language and customs were discouraged, and that also 0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:51.760 led to decline the use in transmission of the Mari 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:56.080 language and the loss of cultural identity for many Maria individuals. 0:03:56.520 --> 0:04:00.680 This I think can be characterized as a cultural genocide. Moreover, 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:05.920 discriminatory practices were prevalent in various areas and putting in employment, 0:04:06.280 --> 0:04:10.840 in housing, and in political representation. Married people faced significant 0:04:10.880 --> 0:04:15.480 barriers and discrimination when seeking employment or housing opportunities. They 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:19.400 were also underrepresented in political institutions, which lim to their 0:04:19.440 --> 0:04:23.839 ability to advocate for their rights and influence decision making processes. Now, 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:27.640 the seeds of contemporary married activism were sowing in the 0:04:27.800 --> 0:04:31.960 sixties and seventies. Struggles were taking place basically from the 0:04:32.000 --> 0:04:36.200 point of first contact, but Mari activism as we understand 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:41.240 it today really launched with a new fervor in the 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:44.800 sixties and seventies. The late sixties and early seventies really 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:49.440 marked a turbulent period globally because there was an upsurge 0:04:49.520 --> 0:04:52.680 in class conflicts and social activism. You know, they are 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:56.279 the independence movements and decolonization movements happening all over the world. 0:04:56.520 --> 0:04:58.839 It was a time when people all over were taking 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:01.919 a stand against it injustice and fighting for their rights. 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:05.560 And this wave of political and social movements as soon 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:08.840 as the New Left had a profound impact on the 0:05:08.839 --> 0:05:12.760 Islands as well. In New Zealand as in elsewhere, student 0:05:12.800 --> 0:05:17.000 activism was really taken in shape across the world. Students 0:05:17.040 --> 0:05:20.200 who were protesting against the Vietnam War in the US, 0:05:20.240 --> 0:05:23.240 they were advocating for black liberation, and then they were 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:26.240 all social movements gain momentum, like the women's liberation movement, 0:05:26.279 --> 0:05:29.520 the anti racism movement, the environmentalism movements and the game 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:32.840 that's been rights movements. They were all sparking around the 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:36.080 same time. So the new Left in Autai rower was 0:05:36.160 --> 0:05:39.600 shaped by these international developments. The late nineteen sixties when 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:42.559 it's a surge in student activism and the emergence ofverior 0:05:42.600 --> 0:05:47.119 social movements again environmentalism, women's liberation, anti racism, et cetera, 0:05:47.839 --> 0:05:50.479 and so Mari protest groups were really picking up on 0:05:50.640 --> 0:05:54.320 those movements and those movements would shape the mindsets and 0:05:54.400 --> 0:05:57.960 the actions of married protest groups during that period. They 0:05:58.000 --> 0:06:03.440 were taking the analysis and the understanding of racism and 0:06:03.760 --> 0:06:07.320 inequalities faced by Mari in a broader context, and so 0:06:07.360 --> 0:06:10.120 they were aligning themselves with class struggle as well, and 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:12.320 were the progressive I dual to the left at large. 0:06:12.720 --> 0:06:15.880 So this point in time, the Maori struggle it was 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:20.520 characterized as largely leftist. That is something that will change 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:25.839 later on as the movements become more heterogeneous, but for 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:28.960 now it's been mostly leftist. Even though there were some 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:33.400 part protest groups that were less left oriented and more 0:06:33.600 --> 0:06:38.080 just you know, national liberation focused, they still saw themselves 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:42.360 as part of this broader left movement. Okay, they were 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:47.560 still actively working to incorporate these radical intellectual traditions, particularly 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:52.240 Marxism and feminism into the Maori struggle. In the late 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:55.760 nineteen sixties, there was this very strong collaboration taking place 0:06:55.800 --> 0:07:01.520 between Pakeha or European New Zealanders and pakiher anti racist 0:07:01.560 --> 0:07:06.200 groups and the emergent Maori protest movements. One significant event 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:09.520 that really brought them together was the exclusion of Mari 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:12.440 rugby players from the nineteen sixty All Black Tour of 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:16.080 South Africa by the New Zealand Rugby Football Association, and 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:19.240 that decision, of course sparked widespread opposition because at the 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:23.240 time South Africa was very much involved in the part 0:07:23.280 --> 0:07:27.800 TI and this decision to exclude Mari rugby players from 0:07:27.800 --> 0:07:32.360 the team and from that particular tour led to many 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:36.160 protests under this banner of No Maori, No Tour, which 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:37.880 focused not only in the exclusion of the Maori but 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:42.280 also on the morality of engaging with the country practicing apartheid. 0:07:42.840 --> 0:07:46.400 More collaboration would take place in the form of the 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:50.320 formation of the Halt All Racist Tours Group also His 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:53.240 Heart in nineteen sixty nine, which is an umbrella organization 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:56.360 that united a couple different voices and groups, both Maori 0:07:56.560 --> 0:08:00.640 and Pakiha in the opposition to relish their discriminatory sports tours. 0:08:01.920 --> 0:08:06.040 They were so involved organizations like Care which included young 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:10.200 Mari political activists among its members, alongside Pakeha political activists 0:08:10.720 --> 0:08:13.480 in organizing these panel discussions to address the position of 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:17.160 Mari in New Zealand society. And then this is going on. 0:08:17.200 --> 0:08:22.200 This also the growth in the influence of individuals like Gahria, 0:08:22.680 --> 0:08:27.200 te Awaikotuku and Don Abatiri began shedding more and more 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:30.760 light on the barriers that prevented married women, specifically from 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:35.240 fully participate in and contributing to Maori society. They were 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:38.800 out here criticizing the patriarchal nature to show Mari leadership 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:42.800 an aratification for the speaking rights of married women, trying 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:47.600 inspiration from the broader, non Mari specific women's liberation movement 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:48.280 as well. 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:52.040 So these were like other with these other movements that 0:08:52.080 --> 0:08:54.800 were happening in New Zealand that were kind of working 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:57.000 together or this just like part of like a broader 0:08:57.040 --> 0:08:58.560 trend of these movements in the sixties. 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:03.000 Yes, so they were starting to collaborate. At this point 0:09:03.080 --> 0:09:09.800 in time, both Pakeha and Mari poltical organizations were being 0:09:09.960 --> 0:09:14.840 to form connections and spark discussions other Pakia organizations, obviously 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:18.400 being of the leftist variety, and the Maori organizations being 0:09:19.280 --> 0:09:23.560 primarily leftists, apparently aligned themselves with the leftists causes and. 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:30.079 Plisical ideologies, but from like a more like indigenous perspective 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:32.000 and standpoint and like goals. 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:36.840 Yeah, yeah, definutely all right, got it. One particular organization, 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:40.400 which was forming in the mid nineteen seventies was created 0:09:40.720 --> 0:09:45.680 by Maori women within the Mari activist organization Tamatoa who 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:50.200 had embraced a feminist perspective to analyze the oppression faced 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:53.600 by Mario women particularly, and this awareness was fueled by 0:09:53.600 --> 0:09:57.360 their experiences of frustration and anger with the Mari land 0:09:57.440 --> 0:10:01.280 rights movement because the this women are here and they're 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:05.240 struggling for Marie rights as a whole, but then also 0:10:05.240 --> 0:10:11.040 they're facing issues as women, both in the organization and 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:14.599 in broader society. So they're fighting to presume the politics 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:17.800 and culture and language of Marii society while also seeking 0:10:17.920 --> 0:10:20.679 liberation from the oppression that they would face in that 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:24.320 married society. So it's a struggle for both preservation and 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:30.880 also reformation of Mariori society, or rather liberation, preservation and reformation. 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:45.360 There was also an increase in strike activity and general 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:48.520 class struggle happening during the late nineteen sixties, which had 0:10:48.559 --> 0:10:51.240 a significant impact in the political education of many Mari 0:10:51.360 --> 0:10:55.079 workers who were fighting for better wages and improved working conditions. 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:59.480 Trade unions were playing a crucial role in providing organizational 0:10:59.559 --> 0:11:02.760 base Mari protest groups, as demonstrated by the emergence of 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:07.000 groups like Tehoki Oi and the Mario Organization on Human 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:11.600 Rights or MWHR, both located in the Wellington and both 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:16.120 strongly connected to trade unions. The secretary in fact of 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:21.840 the MWHR, Tamapuata, was actively involved in the Wellington Drivers 0:11:21.920 --> 0:11:26.240 Union and the New Zealand Communist Party. These organizations were 0:11:26.280 --> 0:11:30.400 advocating for an alliance between MARI and progressivelopments in the 0:11:30.440 --> 0:11:33.600 working class. The view the fundamental contradiction society as being 0:11:33.679 --> 0:11:38.040 between labor and capital, between workers and bosses or landowners, 0:11:38.040 --> 0:11:41.760 and racism was seen as a consequence of class inequality, 0:11:42.360 --> 0:11:44.840 and the majority of MARI being working class, were considered 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:49.360 an impressed segment of the working class. Both POKYOI and 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:54.679 MWHR promoted the idea of a unified struggle across racial lines, 0:11:55.080 --> 0:11:58.600 focusing one class B strategies as the most effective means 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:02.480 of addressing racism and reducing MARI inequality. If you pick 0:12:02.480 --> 0:12:05.319 an up hints of class reductionism. 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:06.840 Yep, I was I was actually gonna mention. 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:10.200 That, Yeah, yeah, there are some some some hints of 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:14.520 that in this particular approach, and you'll see the consequences 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:16.960 of that as we progress a bit further through the history. 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:19.920 Like could you, I mean, could you briefly explain class 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:23.480 reductionism in case someone is like listening and is unaware 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:24.400 of that concept. 0:12:25.640 --> 0:12:31.480 Sure, so, class reductionism is basically the idea that the 0:12:31.520 --> 0:12:35.760 explotation of label and the explotation of the working class 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:41.560 by the capitalist class is the fundamental, you know, form 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:45.280 of oppression within society, and it trumps all other social divisions, 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:48.040 all of the forms of oppression such as racism or sexism. 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:51.560 Yeah. Like when you mentioned like they were viewing like 0:12:51.720 --> 0:12:54.959 racism as like a consequence of capitalism, right, that puts 0:12:55.040 --> 0:12:59.760 racism like after capitalism. But racism has existed way before capitalism. 0:12:59.800 --> 0:13:01.800 It is midyway one of is it is one of 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:05.839 the main drivers of capitalism. It's not merely a consequence. 0:13:05.880 --> 0:13:07.560 It's actually like a motivating factor. 0:13:08.480 --> 0:13:12.760 Yeah, and particularly their position that focusing on class based 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:16.440 strategies will be the most effective means of addressing racism. Yeah, 0:13:16.559 --> 0:13:19.240 what I can see from a particular angle, considering that 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:21.160 the majority of Mario will work in class at the 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:24.760 time saying that the best way to alleviate their condition 0:13:24.800 --> 0:13:27.360 we to focus on things we do to impact their 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:30.480 class position. That may be true, But then at the 0:13:30.520 --> 0:13:34.559 same time you also to consider that the racism embedded within. 0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:36.360 You see the society, You're not going to go away 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.959 just as a result of the end to that class 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:43.640 based depression. To be fair to the MWHR, they will 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:46.160 also play in an active role in reason awareness about 0:13:46.240 --> 0:13:50.760 racism specifically you know, in housing, in sports and employment, 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:56.400 and in violation generally I marrit political rights. They also 0:13:56.520 --> 0:13:59.120 had a very strong stance on issues relating to the 0:13:59.160 --> 0:14:02.400 Treaty of our Tangi, you know, the alienation of Mari 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:06.640 from the land and the depletion of resources and the 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:13.680 inability of Maori to access those resources. Their stance, interestingly enough, 0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:18.160 was really on sort of reclaiming the Treaty of Waitangi 0:14:18.559 --> 0:14:23.280 as a potential foundation for harmonious and bicultural country, with 0:14:23.440 --> 0:14:29.760 the conditions that past injustices were addressed and rectified. However, 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:33.320 like I alluded to earlier, there would be a shift 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:39.760 as the movement would progress. The inspirational momentum behind the 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:44.000 te Hokioi and MHR had begun to weigne, particularly during 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:49.280 the early to mid nineteen seventies, and eventually in nineteen 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:53.280 seventy five, the m WHR would merge with Matakite as 0:14:53.400 --> 0:14:55.800 part of the land rights movement, which marked the end 0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:59.000 of their separate existence and also led to the rise 0:14:59.560 --> 0:15:13.560 of Brown power. So if brown power sounds like black power, 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:17.200 that's because it's copied power. Similar to the ideologies of 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:21.080 black power advocated by folks like Kamiture and Charles V. Hamilton, 0:15:21.640 --> 0:15:24.120 Brown power is centered on the complete rejection of the 0:15:24.200 --> 0:15:28.120 racist institutions and values of New Zealand society and the 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:33.120 belief that group solidarity was essential effective collective action and negotiation. 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:37.240 The proponents of Brown power urged Mari people to unite, 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:40.000 to recognize their shared history and the foster sense of 0:15:40.080 --> 0:15:45.160 solidarity and community. Significant emphasis was placed on the goal 0:15:45.240 --> 0:15:48.120 of Marie's self determination, which of all, the ability for 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:51.120 Maria to define their own objectives and to establish their 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:55.080 own distinct organizations and institutions. So this is like at 0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:58.640 this point, brown power, much like black power, is the 0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:09.080 opposite of just assimilation or adjustment or cohabitation with existing structures. 0:16:09.480 --> 0:16:14.200 It is a movement that desired complete autonomy from those systems, 0:16:14.200 --> 0:16:17.200 from those structures, an assertion of the freedom of Mari 0:16:17.280 --> 0:16:21.360 people to exist and not have their existence imposed upon 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:27.200 the organization. Tamatoa initially drew inspiration from the revolutionary faction 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:30.280 of the Black Poor movement in the US. However, as 0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:33.560 the group evolved, different interests and objectives had emerged, which 0:16:33.640 --> 0:16:37.080 led to a division within the movement. On the one side, 0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:41.280 they were the conservative, university educated members such as Sid 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:45.880 and Hannah Jackson, Peter Reikis, and Don Abatiri. And on 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:48.200 the other side they were the more militant proponents of 0:16:48.640 --> 0:16:56.840 black or brown power like John Ohio, Paul Kottara, and Tednia. Eventually, unfortunately, 0:16:57.320 --> 0:17:03.040 the more conservative members of Tamatoa really took center stage 0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:07.720 in the movement. Their strategies diverged from the militants and 0:17:07.800 --> 0:17:11.200 that they sort of changed through alliance with more liberal 0:17:11.200 --> 0:17:16.240 elements within the Ruins. They believed that by implementing appropriate 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:21.480 legal measures, MARI could achieve prosperity, so they were really 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:25.879 advocating for like welfare and self help programs for MARI development. 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:29.840 And in fact, there was even some belief among them 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:34.159 that New Zealand capitalism coupled with the parliamentary political system 0:17:34.880 --> 0:17:38.040 could be rid of racism, that you could extract racism 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:40.280 from capitalism and then everything would be hunky door. 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:44.200 Interesting. Yeah, which is like this perspective which is like 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:47.879 the opposite of like the class productionism that we mentioned previously. 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:51.159 Yeah, yeah, yeah, And I mean this, this perspective is 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:55.400 exactly the kind of thing that you see manifest again 0:17:55.440 --> 0:18:01.760 and again within political move one so across the world, 0:18:01.840 --> 0:18:10.600 really the interests of middle class, university educated individuals who 0:18:10.840 --> 0:18:14.159 are more focused on their own individual advancement within the 0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:18.919 existing system than an actual thorough critique of the structure 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:22.000 and history of that system. And so when you have 0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:27.560 when you're fueled by those individual interests and you're focused 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:30.360 on how you can advance through that system in business 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:32.960 or in politics, whatever the case may be, is very 0:18:32.960 --> 0:18:35.600 easy to just you know, be like, oh, well, I'm 0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:37.360 not you guys are talking about and I'm sure once 0:18:37.359 --> 0:18:40.240 we get the racism out of the way, you know, 0:18:40.480 --> 0:18:45.760 we can all succeed, wink wink. But of course that 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:51.159 is a rather my opic approach. And so as a 0:18:51.200 --> 0:18:55.600 result of the centrality of those individuals and that particular 0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:59.160 perspective in the movement, the meaning of brown power as 0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:02.119 a slogan kind of got water down. It became more 0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:09.280 ambiguous and potentially associated with either mari capitalism or evolutionary activity. Arguably, 0:19:09.320 --> 0:19:12.119 the same thing could be said for black power. A 0:19:12.119 --> 0:19:14.560 lot of people, a lot of advocates of black power 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:18.720 ended up going in the direction of black capitalism, talented 0:19:18.760 --> 0:19:26.120 tenth black business, black wealth, that kind of thing. And 0:19:26.160 --> 0:19:28.719 well we've seen consequests to that. I mean, there are 0:19:28.720 --> 0:19:31.120 more black billionaires and millionaires than they ever have been 0:19:31.119 --> 0:19:35.040 in human history. But that doesn't mean racism has been 0:19:35.119 --> 0:19:42.080 dealt with. Putting aside the capitalist oriented advocates of brown 0:19:42.080 --> 0:19:46.280 power on the revolutionary side, a new group would emerged 0:19:46.400 --> 0:19:50.119 to challenge the system. And this group and you're gonna 0:19:50.200 --> 0:19:51.520 you're gonna pick up on a little bit of a 0:19:51.520 --> 0:19:55.320 theme here in terms of inspiration. This group was called 0:19:55.320 --> 0:20:02.280 the Polynesian Panthers. Interesting establish Yeah, they were established in 0:20:02.400 --> 0:20:05.000 June of nineteen seventy one, and they had a membership 0:20:05.000 --> 0:20:08.639 primarily composed of Pacific Islanders such as Simmo Wan's Tongueuns 0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:14.480 and News. And they drew obviously explicitly inspiration from the 0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:18.200 Black Panther Party the United States. Just a heads up 0:20:18.280 --> 0:20:24.040 in Maori, well, in New Zealand, the Mari and the Pakea. 0:20:24.119 --> 0:20:28.160 The Pakea the Europeans are the two primary groups, right, 0:20:28.880 --> 0:20:32.080 But in New Zealand they are also minorities of other 0:20:32.240 --> 0:20:39.399 Pacific islanders Samoans and tongue Guns and new Ones, and 0:20:40.359 --> 0:20:43.760 people from the other smaller islands within Polynesia, within the 0:20:44.560 --> 0:20:47.639 you know area, from those various islands in Oceania and 0:20:48.359 --> 0:20:54.920 the Pacific Ocean, and a lot of them had arrived 0:20:55.280 --> 0:20:59.600 as immigrants during the nineteen sixties economic boom that had 0:20:59.600 --> 0:21:04.480 taken place New Zealand. The founders of the Polynesian Panther 0:21:04.520 --> 0:21:08.879 Party were actually high school students, they weren't university students, 0:21:08.880 --> 0:21:12.240 they weren't adults. They were mostly from working class, first 0:21:12.280 --> 0:21:17.600 generation families that's cool, and their parents were actually encouraged 0:21:17.640 --> 0:21:20.960 by the New Zealand government to migrate as cheap labor 0:21:21.080 --> 0:21:24.359 during that economic boom. But of course, as these things 0:21:24.359 --> 0:21:27.760 go again once even like looking at this history and 0:21:29.600 --> 0:21:33.040 for any significant length of time, you see certain patterns emerge. 0:21:33.359 --> 0:21:35.480 So governments are going to invite You're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, 0:21:35.640 --> 0:21:38.679 migrants come, We'll take advantage of your labor. And then 0:21:38.720 --> 0:21:40.879 the second last of down to migrants are to blame 0:21:40.920 --> 0:21:44.960 for everything. So as the production boom was subsiding in 0:21:45.000 --> 0:21:50.080 the mid nineteen seventies and different conditions were deteriorating. Racism 0:21:50.200 --> 0:21:53.800 and police harassment against Pacific Islanders became even more prevalent, 0:21:54.840 --> 0:21:57.639 and by the Pacific Islanders does technically refer to Maria 0:21:57.680 --> 0:22:01.920 as well, and the Asian Panther Party position is that 0:22:02.320 --> 0:22:05.400 Maria Pacific Islanders are contider parts of the Polynesian Panthers, 0:22:06.160 --> 0:22:10.280 but speaking specifically about the migrant Pacific Islanders and they 0:22:10.359 --> 0:22:13.359 experiencing they're doing three, you know, just like the Maria. 0:22:13.400 --> 0:22:17.399 They're dealing with low wages and poor living conditions and 0:22:17.520 --> 0:22:19.600 the government, you know, being migrants, they were an even 0:22:19.680 --> 0:22:23.040 more precarious position because government had taken a more aggressive 0:22:23.080 --> 0:22:27.040 stance towards over stairs people who overstad on their work visas, 0:22:27.280 --> 0:22:30.200 which put these first generation New Zealanders at risk of 0:22:30.240 --> 0:22:33.560 deportation to countries that they had never visited, had never known, 0:22:34.640 --> 0:22:37.960 you know, being forced into these precarious circumstances. A lot 0:22:37.960 --> 0:22:41.159 of young Pacific Islanders were living in unsafe neighborhoods and 0:22:41.160 --> 0:22:43.840 a lot of them felt compelled to join gangs or 0:22:44.000 --> 0:22:46.639 to stay hidden at home for survival. And so the 0:22:46.640 --> 0:22:50.439 Polynesian Panthers really emerged as an alternative option, seeking to 0:22:50.480 --> 0:22:53.960 provide a more positive path for young people in Pacific 0:22:53.960 --> 0:22:59.160 islander communities. The Polynesian Panthers were particularly influenced by huy 0:22:59.160 --> 0:23:03.680 Newton's policy of Black Unity, and also echoed his distinction 0:23:03.760 --> 0:23:08.200 between revolutionary and cultural nationalism when debating the conservative members 0:23:08.240 --> 0:23:12.600 of Nagatamatoa. The Panthers identified the root cause of Pacific 0:23:12.640 --> 0:23:17.560 calendar oppression within the exploitative social relations of the capitalist system, 0:23:18.280 --> 0:23:22.000 and so they advocated for a liberation strategy that involved 0:23:22.000 --> 0:23:25.280 completely overthrowing the capitalist system and the social relations and 0:23:25.359 --> 0:23:28.520 enabled its existence. And so in practice this meant that 0:23:28.520 --> 0:23:33.280 the Panthers expressed solidarity with other liberation struggles, oppressed groups 0:23:33.320 --> 0:23:37.800 and activists, and ultimately aimed for a global revolution. They 0:23:37.840 --> 0:23:40.600 worked to empower the Polation community and improve their quality 0:23:40.600 --> 0:23:43.280 of life. They organized strikes and factories to the poor 0:23:43.280 --> 0:23:47.200 working conditions. They protested outside substandard housing through the Tenant's 0:23:47.240 --> 0:23:52.520 Aid Brigade. They established homework centers to help address educational struggles, 0:23:52.760 --> 0:23:55.800 and they focused on the reising awareness of writing entitlements 0:23:55.960 --> 0:23:59.960 among Pacific Islander families who were often unaware of their 0:24:00.040 --> 0:24:04.200 legal protections. The fact a lot of the Panthers focus 0:24:04.320 --> 0:24:07.119 was on assistant individuals who were caught up in legal issues. 0:24:08.160 --> 0:24:11.520 They distributed pamphlets that informed people of their rights, They 0:24:11.560 --> 0:24:15.880 provided legal aid for court representation, and they organized buses 0:24:15.880 --> 0:24:19.480 for families to visit their loved ones in prison. The 0:24:19.520 --> 0:24:22.679 Panthers support and advocacy in them the gratitude of prisoners, 0:24:22.960 --> 0:24:25.720 who often contributed a portion of their legal earnings to 0:24:25.760 --> 0:24:29.240 the movement. As they shed light and the daily struggles 0:24:29.280 --> 0:24:33.239 faced by Maor and also other Pacific Islanders, ranging from 0:24:33.320 --> 0:24:38.520 land claims to discrimination police violence. The Panthers actively worked 0:24:38.560 --> 0:24:42.240 to unite Maori and Pacific Islanders in a pan ethnic coalition, 0:24:42.960 --> 0:24:45.919 which contrasted with the viewpoint of Nigar Tamatoa because they 0:24:45.960 --> 0:24:49.920 were prioritizing Mari unity above everything else. It almost reminds 0:24:49.960 --> 0:24:57.840 me of the the way that sometimes in the US context, 0:24:58.359 --> 0:25:02.879 there were some organizations, or rather there are some to 0:25:03.000 --> 0:25:06.960 me si of organizations that are tempting now in the 0:25:06.960 --> 0:25:12.439 present day to emphasize African American unity above and before 0:25:12.480 --> 0:25:16.320 any other form of Pan Afghanism, more black unity. So 0:25:16.440 --> 0:25:20.240 an insidu a seedes to attempt to distance African Americans 0:25:20.280 --> 0:25:21.960 from the rest of the black as broa and to 0:25:22.760 --> 0:25:31.000 ferment divisions between African Americans and African immigrants or Caribbean immigrants. 0:25:31.400 --> 0:25:35.480 So again the tactics, the strategy is the it feels 0:25:35.520 --> 0:25:40.600 like a canon event at this point that there will 0:25:40.600 --> 0:25:44.439 always be these individuals or groups who are trying to 0:25:44.480 --> 0:25:49.879 find ways to chop up and to divide groups that 0:25:49.960 --> 0:25:52.679 should be united and have a lot to gain from 0:25:52.720 --> 0:25:59.399 being united in a common struggle. The Panthers, along with 0:25:59.440 --> 0:26:03.000 any other civic Island youth, were actively working to support 0:26:03.040 --> 0:26:06.800 Marie causes, including the nineteen seventy five Landmarch and the 0:26:06.800 --> 0:26:11.200 Bastion Point occupation. They became one more depth at political lobbying, 0:26:11.440 --> 0:26:14.440 which became apparent during the Dawn Raids in nineteen seventies 0:26:14.680 --> 0:26:17.439 and the Spring Bok Tour of nineteen eighty one. Te 0:26:17.640 --> 0:26:20.440 Ness was jailed for his actions during the tour, but 0:26:20.640 --> 0:26:25.080 wassventually released without charge and will Arollahya, along with jne 0:26:25.320 --> 0:26:29.159 Harawira and others wee trial for two years, only getting 0:26:29.160 --> 0:26:32.760 off the charge after And you know they'll come your 0:26:32.880 --> 0:26:38.200 pearance here. Bishop Desmond tou Tou, well known South African activist, 0:26:38.560 --> 0:26:42.040 flew in to be a character witness for their trial. 0:26:44.480 --> 0:26:45.840 And I think I'm going I put a pin on it. 0:26:45.880 --> 0:26:52.080 There covered the seeds of contemporary mariactivism, the trade union movement, 0:26:52.200 --> 0:26:56.240 Brown Power, and the Polynation Panthers. And in the next 0:26:56.240 --> 0:26:58.960 episode we'll talk more about the development of the land 0:26:59.000 --> 0:27:07.560 rights movement and the weaknesses of the Mari struggle in 0:27:07.680 --> 0:27:11.960 the post nineteen eighties context. That's a finale for me. 0:27:12.520 --> 0:27:15.400