The season to protest
Posted 24 November 2009 // Ben Schrader
The 1975 Māori land march or hīkoi – a defining moment in New Zealand history
Mid-November is the beginning of the festive season, marked by spectacular Santa parades through city streets. This year Santa is facing competition from a series of street protests. Last Tuesday some 6,000 motorcyclists rumbled into Wellington to protest substantial ACC levy increases. The ‘bikoi’ – adapted from the Māori word hīkoi – assembled outside Parliament to vent their anger and demand the government back down. ACC minister Nick Smith tried to placate the crowd by saying he’d review the proposed change, but was drowned out by shouts of ‘bullshit, bullshit’ from the (not so) easy riders. The (re)born to be wild opposition leader Phil Goff – who had recently purchased a Triumph motorcycle – was welcomed like a prodigal son.
Meanwhile, up in Auckland, Colin Craig’s hope for 50,000 supporters at last Saturday’s march up Queen Street, which he organised to call for the anti-smacking and other citizen-initiated referenda to be binding on government, fell shy of the mark – by around 46,000. With Craig putting $450,000 of his own money into the event, this worked out at around $112 per protester. And it seems that not all of the marchers were there to actually support the cause, judging by the some of the placards which said things like ‘Bring back dancing with the Stars‘ and ‘Carly Binding referendum‘ (Carly Binding being a former member of True Bliss pop group).
Prime Minister John Key was unmoved by the event, suggesting the anti-smacking law was working. Which begs the point as to whether protest marches achieve anything other than make the participants feel part of a common cause?
My first protest march was in 1973 when I marched with my parents in support of the anti-nuclear protest ship Fri. I mostly remember the happy, carnival-like atmosphere, a far cry from the anger and anxiety I experienced during 1981 anti-Springbok tour protests. The protest marches failed to stop the tour, so were they wasted effort?
I thought about these issues while writing a Te Ara entry called ‘Parades and Protests’ for the forthcoming Economy and the City theme. It became clear to me that while most protest marches are quickly forgotten, some – like the 1975 Māori land march – come to be seen as defining moments in New Zealand history.
But what do you think? Are protesters simply whingers or are they exercising an essential democratic right? Have you ever been on one? What was it like? Did it achieve the desired result? And why did Phil Goff buy a Triumph and not a Harley? Was it a personal anti-American protest?
could be both - democratic right and whinging…. I loved the anti-Vietnam protests we were taken on as kids. Bugger democratic rights, this was being out at night, in town and on the road! And a big crowd to rush through and other kids and lots of shouting and not being told off for it. All good.
One person’s whinger is another’s freedom fighter - it all depends on your opinion about the issue in question. I’ve been on numerous protests , some about issues I cared deeply about, and others - well I was probably just there for the ride, though I always supported the motivations behind the protest. Looking back most of the protests I joined were not successful in the decision-makers’ minds e.g. the Wellington inner city bypass. At the very least though, they galvanised participants, created a sense of solidarity and were often entertaining. I’ll never forget the time during a bypass protest which blocked Vivian Street when a punk grabbed the keys out of any angry motorist’s car ignition and threw them down a storm water drain grate. Classic.
I have never taken part in a protest march in NZ but took part in several in UK during my student days. In my experience they rarely make a difference to anyone apart from those taking part and are rarely remembered longer than a week by the media.
From what I have seen in NZ they are often confused by organisations like Falun Gong turning up to push their agenda.
And why did Phil Goff buy a Triumph and not a Harley?
Harley Davidson’s are now less associated with Motorcycle gangs and more associated with middle-class males having a mid-life crisis. This hasn’t happened yet with Triumphs. So it was probably a wise choice.