As the indigenous land occupation of Ihumātao hits global headlines, Pania Newton must decide: face down the bulldozers or give up the fight.

Set deep behind the front lines at Ihumātao, Mana Wahine captures intimate access to SOUL co-leader – Pania Newton – in the weeks leading up to what is becoming New Zealand’s most disputed indigenous land occupation.

As the magnitude of the fight ahead and pressures placed on her become all too real, Pania lays bare her personal struggles to find the strength to lead. As the cultural and political unrest reaches breaking point, Mana Wahine provides unique insight into an indigenous issue resonating around the world.

Directed: Corinna Hunziker
Produced: Mia Henry-Teirney

Mana Wahine is part of Loading Docs 2019. 

Hawai'ian actor Jason Momoa visited the TMT protectors at Mauna Kea today.

Jason has been very vocal with his opposition of the Thirty Metre Telescope and his support of the native Hawai'ian protectors over the last few years via his social media.

He visited the site with both of his children and extended Hawai'ian ohana.

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Cover image by KHON2 

"Ihumātao, a west-facing peninsula on the shore of Auckland’s Manukau Harbour, is the city’s oldest settlement. In 1863, the land was illegally confiscated from Māori. Sacred hills were quarried, 800-year-old burial sites were demolished, archaeological remains were destroyed, a sewage-treatment plant was built over traditional fishing grounds, and a dye spill killed the local creek. Now Ihumātao has been designated a Special Housing Area, without public consultation, and a development of nearly 500 houses is in progress. But for some tangata whenua, enough is enough." - From "When Worlds Collide". 

Learn more about the history of Ihumatao and click on the link here to understand why there is a fight to protect this land.

Members of our Pasifika community who went down to support/tautoko the Tangata Whenua and their fight to protect Ihumatao share with us why they felt it was important.

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NOMA SIO-FAIUMU & her husband MATT FAIUMU aka ANONYMOUZ 

- Arts Practitioner (Noma)  Producer/Musician (Matt)

"Matt is a Māngere boy through and through.…more

Pania Newton’s path through life has led her to find her purpose, her kaupapa: protecting Ihumātao. Home to the earliest inhabitants of New Zealand, Ihumātao is a landscape of cultural, historical, and environmental significance. Despite this, the Crown has failed to recognise its heritage values for New Zealand, allowing it to be sold for a proposed housing development.

Realising that the plan meant 480 high-cost houses on the confiscated land, Pania and her cousins created the SOUL Campaign to resist the development. Later with family members and other supporters, she has occupied the land to protect it. Looking deeply into why Ihumātao has not been recognised as heritage worthy of protection in New Zealand, SOUL has uncovered the extent of the bias toward protecting colonial built heritage over sites of indigenous significance - an issue that is seen across the world.

Here Pania tells the story of the fight to #ProtectIhumatao. From a childhood of struggle Pania never focused on the negative, but was fortunate to stay true to her Maoritanga.…more

Samoan actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has shown his support for the protectors of Mauna Kea, heading up there today to meet with Kaho‘okahi Kanuha, a leader in the Thirty Meter Telescope opposition group and other Hawai'ian elders.

Video above & Cover image via Star Advertiser Hawaii.  Photo credit:  Jamm Aquino 

Video above via Hawaii News Now