The iconic Polynesian Panthers visited the school recently to speak to students in the Year 11 History class. In the early 1970s, the Polynesian community endured dawn raids where in the early hours of the morning the police would knock on people's doors to see if they were overstayers (people who stayed longer than allowed by their visa). Pacific Islanders were also facing a lot of prejudice from both the general population and the police. Sick of what was happening, a group of young Polynesians came together to form the Polynesian Panthers with the aim to aid in community betterment through activism and protest. Besides peaceful protests, they wanted to help provide education, legal aid, and other social resources, such as ESOL classes and youth community programs. They also wanted to inform their people of their rights, produce legal aid pamphlets, and set up patrols to follow the police to prevent violence being committed by them on Polynesians. The reason for the visit to our school, Polynesian Panthers and the dawn raids were the subjects of the Year 11 History research.

Two of the founding members of the Panthers, Dr Melani Anae and Tigilau Ness talked to the students explaining what inspired them to start out, and their actions at the time to aid the Polynesian Community. This was followed by a time for questions and answers. Student Isabelle Palu was impressed with meeting the pair and commented after the visit. “So cool having the original Polynesian Panthers come in and talk to us about their experiences of the Dawn Raids.” Jessica Burwood found the visit very informative and added, “It was really interesting and informative hearing from somebody who had first-hand experience of those times.” The Polynesian Panthers were also impressed with the way the students reacted to their visit, and the questions that they asked. Panther Tigilau Ness enjoyed speaking to the students and said, “It was a good intimate talk because we addressed a small group which is what we like. The students asked great questions.” Founder and driving force Dr Melani Anae also enjoyed her experience at the school and offered, “Loved the beautiful faces of the students, they reminded me of my own mokopuna. They are learning because they were speaking and thinking about racism.” A very worthwhile visit and one that our students certainly found interesting and a wonderful source of information for their assignments.

SITI KAMAL & NILA VIMALENTHIRAN

NEWS MEDIA TEAM