Description

Ponsonby People Power —
the movement that changed Auckland
In early 1970s Ponsonby, young
activists set out to turn radical ideals
into practical action. With no wealthy
backers, membership fees or official
status, the Ponsonby People’s Union for
Survival and Freedom built community
power from the ground up.
The People’s Union worked with
tenants, immigrants, pensioners,
prisoners and their families. It ran
a low-cost food co-op, organised
prison-visiting buses and legal aid,
challenged bad landlords, stood with
Māori and Pasifika people against
racism, and joined the occupation at
Takaparawhau, Bastion Point.