Polynesian Panthers commemorate 45 year anniversary

Friday, 17 June 2016

The plaque unveiled outside the original Polynesian Panther Party headquarters.

A radical organisation that fought for Polynesian and Maori rights has unveiled a plaque outside its original headquarters.

The Polynesian Panther Party formed in 1971 in the Auckland suburb of Ponsonby and was inspired by the American Black Panthers. It was an organisation borne from a large mix of Pacific Islanders and Maori.

Founding member Will 'Ilolahia says 'it was set up in response to issues at the time around racism, discrimination and housing'.

The unveiling of the plaque was at 309 Ponsonby Road and marked 45 years since the party was formed.

Wayne Taleafoa and Melani Anae were both early members of the party.

Now an ASB bank branch, 'Ilolahia says the headquarters was on the second floor of the building and was always a hive of activity.

'We were all young, most of us were high school age,' 'Ilolahia says.

Auckland Councillor Mike Lee, second from left, with Polynesian Panther members.

Wayne Taleafoa was 16 years old when he decided to join the panthers, shortly after its formation.

Now a Presbyterian minister, he says Ponsonby is hardly recognisable to the one he grew up in.

'Ponsonby was a very different place back then, it was a real cultural melting pot. There was no laws protecting tenants and many of the houses in the area would now be condemned.

'There was a general feeling that things were not right and we should learn to speak up for our people and ourselves,' he says.

Wayne's brother, Alec, was also an early member of the party. He says joining the Panthers was a way to take action against injustices at the time.

'I remember one house in Ponsonby where the drainage ran straight under the house. It was a time when landlords had it all their own way.

'We would do things like support rent strikes. This was when a tenant would stop paying their rent until the landlord improved their living conditions.'

The plaque was created in collaboration with the Waiata Trust.

'Many of these heritage places are just a dot on a GPS map, we need similar initiatives around the city to preserve its culture and history,' Waiata Trust event manager Ronald Andreassend says.

A hui is being held in Palmerston North from June 17 to 19 to also commemorate the 45 year anniversary of the Panthers.