Hīkoi as a protest of defiance, unity and hope

Toitū Te Tiriti activation in Ōtepoti Dunedin

The Hīkoi mō te Tiriti was not just a mass gathering of people, it was an act of defiance, unity, and hope. Māori, pākehā, tauiwi, all heeded the call of the organisers of Toitū te Tiriti, and came out in our tens of thousands. And while the formal call from the organisers was to rally around […]

Hīkoi as Education

All kinds of ākonga – Māori, Pākehā, tauiwi – in and out of uniform were out in full on the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti on the streets of Wellington last week. The Hīkoi will be remembered as one of those events in history, which will be taught in our Aotearoa History lessons, and one as […]

Toitū te Tiriti!

There is a palpable sense of excitement in the air. Granted, the Jetstar lounge isn’t necessarily the most excitable place in the country, but hearing Te Reo Māori flying and constitutional histories discussed by aunties and uncles is a sure cause. The eve before the march has Auckland Domestic Airport Gate 21 buzzing, as inked […]

Foreshore and Seabed: A New Wave of Attacks

Another round of Crown confiscations stand before us. Among the current onslaught of law-changes, the Government has recently announced its plans to overturn the 2023 Court of Appeal decision which lowered the threshold for meeting Customary marine title claims. The history here gets tangled easily, so let’s break it down in chronological order (an oversimplification, […]

Editorial – Oppose this Government’s Attacks on Māori!

This is the editorial of Issue 9 of our physical publication, The Socialist The government are playing the classics. It seems that every other day brings news of fresh attacks on Māori. Whether the demotion of Māori names from government agencies, funding cuts to health and community organisations, removal of equity policies, or breaches of […]

Oppose the De-funding of Massey’s Students’ Association

Romany is a member of the International Socialist Organisation of Aotearoa and student representative with Te Tira Ahu Pae, writing here in a personal capacity. We should all be deeply concerned by Massey University’s announcement that they intend to de-fund Te Tira Ahu Pae, the Massey University student association and take over the running of […]

Ngā Taurahere – a new Māori translation of The Internationale – Part 2

Part One of this interview and translation can be found here: https://iso.org.nz/2024/06/28/nga-taurahere-a-new-maori-translation-of-the-internationale/ ISO members Kaakatarau Te Pou Kohere (Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tuhoe, Ngāti te ata Waiohua, Kai Tahu) and Tima Thurlow (Ngāi Tuhoe) are developing a new Māori translation of the workers’ anthem The Internationale. Kaakatarau spoke to Shōmi Yoon about the considerations and politics of […]

Processes versus People: The Clocktower Protest for Palestine

On Wednesday 9 October around 200 students, staff, and members of the Dunedin public marched from the Otago Museum Reserve, through the Link (the University of Otago’s primary ‘hub’) and to the University of Otago Clocktower, singing and chanting as they went – calling for Boycott, Divestment and Sanction action against Israel. The action was […]

New Zealand Imperialism in the Pacific in the 21st Century

A public talk based on this article is available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiDVbWafgPg “The Pacific is our family, and being here is a great opportunity to reaffirm New Zealand’s position as a close and trusted partner.” Visiting Niue in June 2024, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon trotted out this familiar official story about the New Zealand government’s […]

Interview: Woolworths workers’ strike for living wage and safer staffing

In early August nearly ten thousand FIRST Union members working in Countdown and Woolworths across Aotearoa New Zealand voted in favour of strike action. The 2023 financial statement shows Woolworths made an AUD$3billion pre-tax profit, with Aotearoa New Zealand operations making up around 11% of total revenue. This is a company with money to spare. […]