This article was first published by RNZ.
Have you ever heard of a gang-owned newspaper? If you turned back the clock to the late 1980s, early 1990s, you could have scooped up a copy of Te Iwi o Aotearoa for less than $3.
The paper was the brainchild of the late Black Power boss Abe Wharewaka-Topia. It began in October 1987 as a tikanga-based paper focused on sharing the “otherside” of the news the group believe was missing in the mainstream.
Life members of the Black Power said they had always been a rōpū rooted in challenging systemic racism, protecting tikanga Māori, and standing up for the rights of tangata whenua.
And Te Iwi o Aotearoa was proof of this, they said.
Enabled by a government-funded employment scheme, the Black Power ran the paper through their Tatou te Iwi trust that paid eight trainees to work for the paper.
The newspaper covered complex topics over its 44 issues. Ranging breaking news, sport, politics, international murder investigations, gang hui meet-ups, and pānui.
Pop artist Moana Maniapoto and her band Moana and the Moa Hunters were featured on the cover of the newspaper with the 1990s single ‘Black Pearl’. Maniapoto said she vaguely remembered the paper.
“I remember two lovely men - the photographer Vince Heperi and the main writer Bill Puru. The paper did some really good stuff. Pretty groundbreaking when you think about it.
“They were the first publication to announce the release of our single ‘Black Pearl’ and rightfully predicted it would do very well.”
The word puzzles were te reo Māori and the general gist of the paper was ‘if you want to learn about Māoritanga, then read Te Iwi.
Some articles were written in Māori with no translation, but printed letters to the editor from Pākehā voiced no objection.
“It is welcome to see the otherside of the news not printed in most papers” and “every page is a taonga” two comments read in a January 1991 edition.
Sir Robert Muldoon, who used to share a handle with the Black Power when he was prime minister, regularly wrote in for column pages after his time in office.
Another Pākehā man once wrote a poem called ‘Our Land’ to remind the editors to not be “too harsh on all Pākehā”. The man wrote that he “loved and cherished his Māori Partner” saying that not every white man held the same view on race.
Adjacent to the public thanks to the editors, there was the chance to write to the executive editor and Black Power boss at the time Wharewaka-Topia.
In the early days the paper cost $2.50. The price was later dropped to $1.50.
It even had some international subscribers, including a women living in Hawai’i who would would receive a copy via the post.
They called it the “no bull newspaper” because Black Power was initially known as the Black Bulls gang.
Some of the topics covered remain relevant today, like an article about Winston Peters' thoughts on te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The 1988 piece headlined “Peters and the Treaty” shared the opinion of A. Taylor who wrote "Te Iwi would rather be concentrated on the realities of political responsibility: the problem of housing, increasing unemployment and poverty in this constituency. And of course, concern for mana Māori".
As well, there were debates including “Who was the richest in the country at the time?” An article that later had to be corrected after claiming that the Auckland-based Turner whānau had $80 million in assets.
G. Turner wrote back and said they only had $25.25 million.
There was also good news.
A Waikato Hospital survey found Māori patients loved the care they received, but wanted puha and watercress on the menu.
There were also great conversation starters such as the origin debate for the word ‘Māori’. Is it Māori, or Ma ori ori?
And hand drawn cartoons often replaced pictures until higher quality photographs took over towards the end of the its four-year run.
Finally, adverts were generally not included other than things like notices for hui, Māori scholarship announcements, or calls for Māori film makers.
Te Iwi o Aotearoa closed in August 1991. Black Power members were delighted to know that some of its legacy had survived.
By Emma Andrews of RNZ.
