One Nation, Pauline Hanson, and the Rise of the Far Right
In a May poll, One Nation rode a global wave of support for the far Right, surging ahead of all other Australian parties. What is One Nation? Who is its leader Pauline Hanson? How can we compare this to Aotearoa New Zealand? And what can socialists do to fight the rise of the far Right? […]
The Dawn Raids: Capitalism and Resistance
The real start of the Dawn Raids was not on 13 March 1974. Instead, the true origin lies much earlier, in the post-war economic boom of the 1950s. The industrial expansion at the time created a massive demand for labour, especially cheap labour for manufacturing and construction. The rapid expansion of industry combined with union […]
New Laws Harken Back to the Dawn Raids Era
Under new laws, immigration officers will be able to demand identification from suspected overstayers at their homes and workplaces. These out-of-hours compliance visits harken back to policies of the Dawn Raids era of the 1970s, in which Pacific peoples were forcefully targeted as “overstayers” despite only constituting one-third of migrants staying past the expiration of […]
Protesting the Ōtautahi Aerospace Conference
To quote from the 2025 Aerospace Summit website, New Zealand is a “global space leader”. Our low population density and open skies make us the perfect arena, in logistical terms, for testing and launching aerospace technology into the world’s shared skies. Rocket Lab, a New Zealand-based company, has been receiving USA military contracts since 2009, […]
Working Class History: The 1959 Oil Workers Strike in Fiji
In the late 1950s in Fiji, the cost of living was rising. Indigenous Fijian workers, along with the formerly indentured Indo-Fijian workforce, chafed under the exploitation of the colonial, capitalist system. Some workers, like unionist Apisai Tora, had been radicalised by the experience of fighting in WWII and returning to continued hardship at home. It […]
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 […]
In Solidarity with Kanaky – A Rally Speech
The following is based on a speech given at a Kanaky solidarity rally in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington on Friday 26th July 2024. Kia ora koutou. Ko Serah tōku ingoa. Thanks to all of you for being here. There is a lot happening politically right now. Just yesterday, there was a rally led by Alternative Jewish […]
Imperialism in the Pacific
In early July the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) announced the presence of HMNZS Aotearoa in Pearl Harbor as part of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) war practice. Commanding Officer, Rob Welford explained: “we stand strong, we stand staunch, we stand together as sailors […] partners integrated and prepared.” What, we might ask, is […]
Say No to AUKUS
In this piece I’ll be examining AUKUS and how it relates to, and is a product of, the system that the working class of the world currently suffers under. I’ll also be touching on some larger topics such as China, the relevance of AUKUS to us here in Aotearoa, and the big question – What […]
Indian Election and Hindu Nationalism In New Zealand
The pre-amble to the constitution of India declares it to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic. It is an admirable vision for the country. In reality one could argue, plausibly, that none of those terms are applicable to the Indian state, at least not on the national level. The previous decade has seen a […]
