Syd Jackson Ahi Kaa

Maori activist Syd Jackson has been buried at his marae in Hawke’s Bay.

The 68-year-old died on Monday, after a three year battle with cancer.

Jackson will be remembered for the huge role he played in putting the Treaty of Waitangi onto the political agenda, and the resurrection of Te Reo.

Unionist and activist, Syd Jackson lead a full life, dedicated to putting the Treaty of Waitangi on the political agenda.

Jackson, of Ngati Kahungunu and Ngati Porou spent 17 years working for the Northern Clerical Workers' Union and also worked as the CEO of Turuki Health Care, some called him the face of Maori rights.

Today's service was based entirely around pre-Christian Maori rituals.

One of the many battles he fought was to make Te Reo a recognised language in this country.

Jackson rose to prominence in the early 70s, he protested at Waitangi Day commemorations and was arrested at the first anniversary of the Moutoa Gardens occupation.

But his controversial approach didn't always win him support.

http://www.tv3.co.nz/VideoBrowseAll/NationalVideo/tabid/309/articleID/34234/Default.aspx#video

Syd Jackson Maori Revolutionary

E te rangatira, e te hoa, haere atu ra ki o taua tupuna, hoki wairua mai ki a matou e whai atu ana i muri i a koe.

Sydney Keepa (Jim). 18 December 1938 - 3 September 2007. Darling husband of Deidre Nehua and loved father of Pura, Ramari and Sean Slattery, Kasey and Bernard Te Paa, Lale, Whakaarahia, Tawhio and Philomena, Kateao and Tom, and Te Awaroa. Beloved Koro of his many mokopuna. Dearly loved son of the late Everard and Jane Jackson. Brother of the late Bill Nepia and Peggy, Bob (deceased) and June Jackson, Fred and Gail, Jacky and Phil Tonkin, Moana, Phil and Amanda, Glen and Aane Beaton. Loved whanaunga of the late Cunningham, Paku, Thompson, Pokai and Wirepa whanau. Syd is at Matahiwi Marae where he will be farewelled at 11.00 am Friday 7 September. Moe mai e te rangatira. Takoto e haere ki te wa kainga tuturu.

Check out the coverage from te Kaea, Maori TV news bout Syd

http://www.maoritelevision.com/programmes/news/2007-09-04_clip1.htm

Union movement pays tribute to Syd Jackson

Tuesday, 4 September 2007, 11:47 am
Press Release: NZCTU
CTU MEDIA RELEASE
04 September 2007

Union movement pays tribute to Syd Jackson

“Syd Jackson’s contribution to the union movement was enormous and he will be sorely missed by the many people whose lives he has touched,” CTU vice president Maori Sharon Clair said today.

“Syd’s contribution to Maori self determination and language became prominent at Auckland University through his leadership in Nga Tama Toa, and he was involved in a number of campaigns, in particular in relation to his commitment to Te Reo Maori.”

“Syd was very strong in his trade unionism, and from his family connections with the freezing works in the Hawkes Bay it became an important part of him from very early on.”

“Syd was a field officer and then secretary of the Clerical Workers Union in Auckland for over a decade, and was a driver for modernising the union.”

“He was involved in the early discussions on the establishment of the Runanga through the Federation of Labour, which later became Te Runanga O Nga Kaimahi Maori through the CTU. It was a huge philosophical departure at the time for unions to acknowledge that there were groups within their membership who required special representation.”

“After he finished his involvement at the Clerical Workers Union in the late 1980s, he went on to become an advocate representing workers in disputes.”

“We extend our sympathy to the Jackson whanau at this time,” Sharon Clair said.

Ends.

Death of Syd Jackson a major loss

Tuesday, 4 September 2007, 11:20 am
Press Release: Green Party
4 September 2007

Syd Jackson excelled as a broadcaster, activist and trade unionist, but was - most of all - a major leader, who through his role in Nga Tamatoa brought Treaty issues to the forefront of the political agenda, Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says.

"He was unswerving in his commitment to Te Tiriti, and he blazed a clear trail for the generation of Maori activists who came after him," Ms Fitzsimons says.

"He helped to make being Maori at university a strength for those of us uncertain of our right to be there. He showed us that radical, tertiary educated Maori can be a major force for change," Greens' Maori Affairs Spokesperson Metiria Turei says.

"Syd was also well known to other Green MPs through his trade union work - and particularly through his groundbreaking efforts in organising Maori workers through their own kaupapa Maori union," Greens' Industrial Relations Spokesperson Sue Bradford says.

The Green Party extends to the Jackson whanau their deepest sympathies.

Maori Revolutionary Syd Jackson Dies

Maori activist Syd Jackson, who died yesterday, has been called "a true warrior" of Maori politics.

Jackson, uncle of broadcaster and former MP Willie Jackson, died at his Mangere Bridge home three years after doctors told him he had cancer. He was 68.

Willie Jackson said his illness epitomised a decades-long struggle to improve the lot of Maori.

"He was a fighter, it sort of typified his life, I suppose," he said last night.

"For many of us he was a mentor, a leader and an absolute role model. He was absolutely fixed on getting equity for Maori and that's the way he lived his life."

Mr Jackson rose to prominence in the early 1970s as the young, fiery and articulate leader of Nga Tamatoa.

In 1971 the group shocked the country and ushered in an era of Maori activism with its inaugural protest at the Waitangi Day commemorations.

As secretary of the Northern Clerical Workers Union, Mr Jackson was instrumental in transforming the mainly white women's union into a militant force.

His nephew and a young Tau Henare had their first introduction into politics via that union.

In the 1980s he raised eyebrows with a trip to Libya - then an international pariah - facing down cries by some politicians for him to be tried for treason.

" They tried to accuse him of bringing guns to New Zealand. He never did any of that rubbish. He certainly woke this country up, he was certainly the most unpopular person at one time.

"People didn't understand what he was talking about. All he was talking about was Treaty rights and equal rights for Maori."

The tangi will be at Matahiwi Marae in Hastings late this week.

Poroporoaki: Syd Jackson

Tuesday, 4 September 2007, 10:00 am
Press Release: The Maori Party
Poroporoaki: Syd Jackson

4 September 2007

Dr Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia, Co-leaders Maori Party

“A true agent of transformation has left us” said Tariana Turia, on hearing of the death of long-time friend and veteran activist, Syd Jackson.

“Syd has lived his life with a totally unswerving commitment to revolution” said Mrs Turia.

“Some forty years ago in 1968, it was Syd, the son of the 1937 All Black and Maori Battalion veteran Everard Jackson, who challenged the Federation of New Zealand Māori Students that All Black tours to South Africa should be opposed as a stand against apartheid”.

“His leadership of Ngā Tamatoa in the 1970s, and their staunch advocacy of Brown Power, laid the foundation for a dynamic period of Māori renaissance” said Mrs Turia. Syd Jackson was the former President of the Auckland Maori Students Union and activist group Nga Tamatoa.

“We think of the inspiration of Syd in firmly placing Te Tiriti o Waitangi on the political agenda in all spheres” said Dr Pita Sharples. “He spearheaded the drive for learning te reo Māori, bringing social awareness to the marginalisation of Mäori in New Zealand while at the same time being such a proud advocate of tino rangatiratanga”.

“Syd has made an enormous political impact on Aotearoa, particularly through his role in the union movement” said Dr Sharples. “He had the keen intellect to grasp complex issues, a quality which you would see coming through in campaigns such as encouraging Libya to boycott trade with New Zealand, or protesting against APEC”.

“In more recent years, he brought that same passion and zeal to the health movement, establishing Turuki Healthcare as a pioneering organisation to deliver affordable and accessible healthcare for the people of South Auckland” said Dr Sharples, Member of Parliament for Tamaki Makaurau.

Syd Jackson was also chairperson of Te Kupenga o Hoturoa - the first Māori sponsored PHO; and a Director of Te Roopu Huihuinga Hauora.

“The tragic irony is that right up until the end, Syd pursued his crusade against cancer not just for his own powerful determination to live but also to argue for the rights for all Māori cancer sufferers” said Mrs Turia.

“Syd will be very, very sadly missed” said Mrs Turia. “His Liberation Talkback radioshow gave us all heart to act, to take a stand, to look after our people”.

“Our love and compassion goes to his darling Deirdre, the Jackson whānau, Ngāti Kahunungu and Ngāti Porou who have shared a remarkable man with us - a man who truly dedicated his life to staying true to the kaupapa, to tino rangatiratanga. His legacy has been and will continue to be profound”.


ENDS

Tributes paid to Maori activist Jackson

He said his uncle Syd never voted because he didn't believe in
Parliament but fought for tino rangatiratanga - self-determination.

Veteran activist Titewhai Harawira said although the media and
politicians vilified Syd throughout his life, he remained a gentleman
and a staunch campaigner for te reo Maori.

Leading Maori rights activist Syd Jackson died in Auckland yesterday
from cancer at the age of 68.

Jackson was involved in the Maori rights movement for more than 40
years and has been credited with putting the Treaty of Waitangi on the
political agenda.

Jackson of Ngati Kahungunu and Ngati Porou was also an experienced
industrial relations worker, serving for 17 years as secretary of the
Northern Clerical Workers' Union.

Nephew Willie Jackson said his uncle walked the talk when it came to
activism.

From his early days as the spokesman for the Maori protest group Nga
Tama Toa right up to his position as CEO of Turuki Health Care.

"He put activism on the TV and talked about Maori rights, he was the
face of Maori rights," Willie Jackson said.

He said his uncle Syd never voted because he didn't believe in
Parliament but fought for tino rangatiratanga - self-determination.

Veteran activist Titewhai Harawira said although the media and
politicians vilified Syd throughout his life, he remained a gentleman
and a staunch campaigner for te reo Maori.

\
"For myself, Syd and Nga Tama Toa, it was about fighting for our
language because to kill the language was to kill the people so we
made a determined effort to go out and rescue our language," Mrs
Harawira said.

She said despite getting kicked off Marae around the country and being
vilified by the media, Syd kept up the fight.

"The media painted him to be a two-headed monster but he was always a
gentleman," Mrs Harawira said.

She said the frontline of activism is thinner with the death of Mr
Jackson.

"He was an inspiration to everybody in the community, whether they
loved or hated him," Mrs Harawira said.

Syd Jackson's body will be taken to Hastings for burial.

He Aitua

Comrade Syd Jackson passed away this evening

He will be at Matahiwi marae Hastings

Ka whawhai tonu matou !

Syd Jackson:-Tama Tu, Tama Ora, Tama Toa!!!!!!

Syd Jackson: In the last 30 years, there have been four or five major protest movements, for want of a better term. One was the nuclear free movement which lead to the formation of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Movement. There was the anti-apartheid movement which was really strong here. The Vietnam war. And others. In each of these, Maori have played a prominent role. In many instances, we’ve actually been the drive, kaha, the strength in it, because our people know what it is to be disadvantaged. You get into those things. You are able to take a more proactive approach than others might be prepared to take, to help drive a movement forward because in our own issues, in our own development, that’s what we’ve had to do.

Syd Jackson: Yes they are.

To come back to your initial question, for the Maori, the nuclear issue could never be divorced from the independence movement in the Pacific. The two went together. For instance, Tahitians would say, “Well, if we had control of our own country, and not the French, there would never have been nuclear testing in Tahiti”. And the Hawaiians would say a similar thing. People all around the Pacific have said that you can’t divorce the two issues. They go hand in hand.

http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/nztrip/sj1.html

Māori protest movement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_nationalism

The social reform movements of the 1970s gave rise to the notion that some forms of human behaviour could be described as politically correct, while others were best forsaken as "politically incorrect" or "unsound." What were these behaviours? Essentially, they involved various forms of prejudice and discrimination. In the 1950s and '60s, for example, it was not unheard of for landlords to erect signs saying "No Dogs or Maoris" outside their accommodation.

As a youngster, I recall being told in some North Island towns Maori children were not allowed to sit upstairs at the cinema.

By the 1970s, such blatant forms of discrimination were becoming increasingly unacceptable, especially to young people.

Growing up, they had been moved by the stories coming out of the American south as blacks and whites together fought to end segregation.

When the white South African government demanded Maori be excluded from All Black touring sides or, failing that, be designated "honorary whites," they realised, even in Godzone, there was a fight to be waged against racism.

Now-familiar names like Syd Jackson, Pita Sharples, Atareta Poananga and Hone Harawira reacquainted Pakeha New Zealanders with the injustices of their nation's colonial past and began to demand redress for the wrongs done to their people.

http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/pr270705.htm