He pokeke uenuku i tu ai: the evolution of contemporary Maori protest
RIS ID
65250
Abstract
Historically, the intensity and momenlUm of Maori political activism has never been consistent. Upturns in protest activity are followed by downturns in struggle and vice versa. 1lle 1970s were witness to a dramatic upsurge in Maori activism which had a profound effect on New Zcaland society. The political turbulence created in the wake of the 1975 land march on Parliament, Bastion Point, Raglan and the regular protests at Waitangi once again revealed the exploitative and oppressive foundations on which capitalism had been established in Aolearoa. The decline of working-class movements internationally and the fisc of the New Right coupled with the logic of identity politics lured many Maori away from political activity throughout the 1980s. However. the recent upsurge in naxfools Maori activism in opposition to the fiscal envelope and the Sealord deal is the most significant since the series of land occupations and marches of the 1970s.
Publication Details
Poata-Smith, E. S. 1996, 'He pokeke uenuku i tu ai: the evolution of contemporary Maori protest', in C. Macpherson, D. Pearson & P. Spoonley (eds), Nga Patai : Racism and Ethnic Relations in Aotearoa New Zealand, Dunmore Press, Palmerston North, New Zealand. pp. 97