Polynesian Panthers
Where did it start
The Polynesian Panther Movement was founded in inner-city Auckland on 16 June 1971 by 6 young Pacific Islander men: Fred Schmidt, Nooroa Teavae, Paul Dapp, Vaughan Sanft, Eddie Williams and Will 'Ilolahia.
When did the Polynesian panthers start
The Polynesian panthers started in 16 June 1971 in Auckland
What is Polynesian panthers
The Polynesian Panther Party was a revolutionary social justice movement formed to target racial inequalities carried out against indigenous Māori and Pacific Islanders in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa.
Why did they start the group
In the 1950s thousands of Pacific Islanders came to Aotearoa to meet a labour shortage. They faced racism, and in the 1970s, notorious dawn raids by police. In 1971 a group of young gang members and students set up the Polynesian Panthers to stand up for the rights of the Pasifika community.
How did they reach New Zealand
The original migrants came from a region in East Polynesia which Māori later called Hawaiki. Bringing dogs and rats, taro and kūmara (sweet potato) to New Zealand, they found plenty of wildlife, including birds now extinct: the moa, a species of swan, and the giant Haast's eagle.There is a lot of evidence that Polynesian people first arrived in New Zealand around 1250–1300 CE, coming from East Polynesia in canoes
How did they change the world
The Polynesian Panthers challenged discriminatory practices in areas such as unequal pay, unsatisfactory working and housing conditions, education, police harassment, legal rights and prison visits for families. The extent to which the Pacific Island communities felt these injustices is shocking
What effect did they have
The Panthers' lead function was to raise consciousness and ensure community wellbeing in response to racial discrimination, prejudice and social inequality faced by indigenous Māori citizens and Pacific Islanders.
Dawn raid
Dawn raids were a common event in Auckland, New Zealand, during a crackdown on illegal overstayers from the Pacific Islands from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. These operations involved special police squads conducting raids on the homes and workplaces of overstayers throughout New Zealand usually at dawn.
Factors led to the dawn raids
Polynesians from the islands of Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji came to New Zealand between the 1950's and 60's as part of the Post War cheap Labour work scheme.
They faced having to adapt to New Zealand culture and faced hardships such as poverty, poor housing, and racial discrimination.
Why were the dawn raid bad
Dawn raids on the homes of alleged overstayers by police began in 1974 and intensified in October 1976. Homes were forcibly entered in the early hours of the morning, tactics that caused outrage and brought accusations of racism.The dawn raids cast a dark shadow over race relations in this country.
A Pacific social justice movement is calling on the New Zealand government to formally apologise for the Dawn Raids of the 1970's.
how to deal with dawn raid
A Pacific social justice movement is calling on the New Zealand government to formally apologise for the Dawn Raids of the 1970's.
The Labour and then National governments of the time authorised police raids on Pasifika homes and work places, to check for overstayers, even churches and schools, were not taboo.
This practice had followed a boom period where migration was encouraged to New Zealand from the Pacific to fill labour shortages.
When the economy declined it was the Pasifika community that became a political scapegoat for a lot of the social ails that followed.
On the cusp of the Polynesian Panther Party marking its 50th anniversary, members say racism still exists in New Zealand.
The party was formed in Auckland on June 16, 1971 by six founding members Will ‘Ilolahia, Fred Schmidt, Nooroa Teavae, Paul Dapp, Eddie Williams and Vaughan Sanft. Eventually there were 300 of them all across New Zealand. All their ages ranged from 16 to 19.
Three of the party members musician Tigilau Ness, Associate Professor Dr Melani Anae and Reverend Alec Toleafoa gave public lectures at Miharo and schools in Invercargill on Tuesday and Wednesday about the party and social injustices faced by Polynesian communities.
The trio all joined the party when they were 16 years old.