Mana - The Power of Our Pasifika Words

As the world's digital divide widens and our news sources are compromised, the story of Mana newspaper in the 1970s gives hope and inspiration to Pasifika media today.

During the turmoil of the 1970s Dawn Raids era and the Crown's claiming of Māori lands, a group of Māori and Pasifika journalists and activists published a fortnightly newspaper in various Pacific languages to shine a light on the injustices faced by Pacific peoples.

“It’s important that our generations understand, look, and feel what happened in these times and the issues that Pacific people were facing,” says Dr Melanie Anae.

Despite having no budget and facing acute persecution during this infamous era, the passion of the Mana cohort allowed the power of the written word to reach communities when no other media was addressing their needs.

Today, the power of these words and images can be seen in an exhibition at Auckland Museum.

The exhibition showcases Mana’s role in amplifying Māori and Pacific voices and highlights how crucial this was in advocating for social justice and land rights.

Since its opening in December, it has been recorded that 30,000 people have visited the exhibition to bear witness to this historic newspaper.

Last year, elders from Ōtara and Papatoetoe were even bused to the museum to explore its Pacific collection, which includes rare artefacts often kept out of public view.

As a young nineteen-year-old, Tigilau Ness was arrested and traumatised by police on the frontlines of Bastion Point and on the streets of Auckland as a Polynesian Panther. What he saw was a crucial need to inform his own communities about what was happening.

Published in English, Māori, Sāmoan, Tongan, Niuean, Cook Islands Māori, and Fijian, Mana newspaper brought together Pasifika and Māori voices into a combined narrative of resistance for the first time.

“Mana was more than just a newspaper," says Wanda Ieremia-Allan, Associate Curator of Documentary Heritage (Pacific Collections) at Auckland Museum.

"It was a beacon of resistance, advocacy, and cultural pride for Māori and Pacific Islanders.”

It also provided connection and visibility for events, arts, profiles, and other important information for Māori and Pacific communities.

“These are the stories of our ancestors and the power of the resistance in our history,” says Dr Melanie Anae.

It is hoped the exhibition will inspire new generations to stand proud in our history of resistance and recognise the shoulders we stand on—those of the early pioneers who risked so much to make their voices heard.

For Pasifika writers and reporters today, Mana newspaper shows us that, despite all obstacles, our stories and narratives can still be heard.

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By Tikilounge Productions & Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa
Arts & Culture Journalist Destiny Momoiseā