BACKLast week, Rangitoto was pleased to host three members of Polynesian Panthers as they offered students an insider’s point of view of the movement. The Polynesian Panthers Party was founded in 1971 in Ponsonby, Auckland—the heart of the Pacific Community. The goal was to protect Pacific people from discrimination and racism within New Zealand. The party took non-violent action to protest against the Dawn Raids to address the injustice among the Pacific community in New Zealand.
The party founders, who were university students at the time, emphasised the importance of education to empower the Pacific community to combat social injustice. The legacy of Polynesian Panthers Party still continues today. A significant part of their work today involves educating the next generation of New Zealanders about what happened. Through the presentation, I could feel the passion from the party members about how much they cared about social equality. Indeed, their action based commitments towards this issue, since the 70s, has proven that racism and discrimination can be addressed if people, who share the same vision, are united. In a culturally diverse society such as New Zealand, the best way to move forward is to say no to prejudice against people from different cultural backgrounds. Respect is earned in a mutual way, and we are all part of it. We are excited to invite them back again in the future.
Jessie Dong Year 9 Student
