Exhibitions

Mana: Protest in Print

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.

Donna Awatere (second on right, with sign) and fellow activists protesting the visit of an American nuclear submarine, 1979. Photograph by John Miller.

© John M Miller (Ngāpuhi)

Mana newspaper. Auckland War Memorial Museum. HT1501 MAN.

Ka whawhai tonu mātou. Mana whenua occupy Takaparawhau Bastion Point, 1985. Photograph by John Miller.

© John M Miller (Ngāpuhi)
Mana: Protest in Print exhibition at Auckland Museum

Hear from the people of Mana

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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Read Mana at home

Every issue of Mana is available online via Papers Past. Anyone can explore the full catalogue of Mana at home for free. 

Read Mana

Image: Mana, 15 September 1977. Volume 1, Issue 6 via Papers Past.

Read <i>Mana</i> at home
illustration of John Antionio

Rotuma editor for Mana

Vaivao John Elcombe Antonio

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. 

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Maulolo Asiata Wairaki Toevai

Samoa editor for Mana

Maulolo Asiata Wairaki Toevai

Ia malu lou sā. Folau i lagimā. A well-grounded self is a successful self.


Central to this aspirational Samoan quote is the Gagana Samoa (Samoan language). In recognition of the 2025 Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa (Samoan Language week), we profile the Samoan writer Maulolo Asiata Wairaki Toevai, and his literary contribution to the 1977-1978 multilingual Pacific Tāmaki Makaurau newspaper, Mana. Written in seven additional languages, the newspaper was a meeting place for many communities engaged in social justice and Māori and Pacific story sovereignty.

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Every family deserves to have their taonga cared for so that they stand the test of time and can be passed down the generations. Here, we're sharing toolkits in 9 Pasifika languages, Te Reo Māori, and English to help families access Museum guidelines for caring for precious items at home. 

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