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Polynesian Panthers

Television (Full Length) – 2010

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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. They ran food co-ops, homework centres, and lobbied for support services. In this Dan Salmon-directed documentary, presenter Nevak Rogers explores the inspirations, events (Bastion Point, Springbok Tour) and legacy of the movement co-founded by her uncle Will 'llolahia.

We were just exuberant voices yelling out in the dark.
– Tigilau Ness

Key Cast & Crew

Nevak Rogers

Presenter, Co-Producer

Dan Salmon

Director, Writer

Kay Ellmers

Producer

Ben Freedman

Additional Photography

Tipene Rogers

Sound Recordist

Phil Woollams

Sound Mix

See all 13 credits

Produced by

Tūmanako Productions

Source

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Acknowledgements

Bill Birch and Robert Muldoon photo: The Evening Post Collection, EP/1980/3341-F, courtesy of Alexander Turnbull Library

Dawn Raid poster by Herbert Otto Roth, courtesy of Auckland Committee on Racism and Discrimination (ACCORD) & Alexander Turnbull Library (94-106-19/07-02)

Documentary made with funding from NZ On Air