Feel the Mana of 1970s protest in print, in the new exhibition that spotlights the groundbreaking newspaper that platformed Māori and Pacific voices across some of Aotearoa New Zealand's most defining years in activism.
ON NOW
SAINSBURY HORROCKS GALLERY, LEVEL 2
FREE WITH MUSEUM ENTRY
More than just a newspaper, Mana was a beacon of resistance, advocacy, and cultural pride for Māori and Pacific communities in the 1970s. Mana: Protest in Print explores the legacy of the groundbreaking publication which continues to resonate today. Through taonga, photography, and digital interactives, the exhibition amplifies the vision of Mana for a more inclusive and informed society, a message that remains as powerful and relevant now as it was in 1977.
Click through to hear the experiences and perspectives of the editors of Mana, and their friends and whānau. These interviews are played in gallery, and are available in full in the next page.
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Image: Mana, 15 September 1977. Volume 1, Issue 6 via Papers Past.
Vạivao John Elcombe Antonio was born in Suva and hails from the districts of Noa'tḁu and Oinafa. Though raised in Fiji, most of his life was spent in New Zealand and Australia.
In celebration of 2025 Rotuman language week, we profile the Rotuman writer John Antonio and his 1977-1978 literary contribution to the first multilingual Pacific Tāmaki Makaurau newspaper, Mana. Written in eight languages, the newspaper was a meeting place for many communities engaged in social justice and Māori and Pacific story sovereignty.
Ia malu lou sā. Folau i lagimā. A well-grounded self is a successful self.
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