Hello and welcome to the witness history podcast with me, Ben Henderson.

Today I'm taking you back to New Zealand in the early 1970s.

Polynesians, the indigenous people of the Pacific Islands, had moved to New Zealand for jobs

and some stayed there longer than their work permits allowed.

The government cracked down on them with police raiding Polynesian homes in the dead of

the night, deporting over stares and terrifying the community.

Some of them decided to fight back and formed a group called the Polynesian Panthers.

My dad shouted me a trip to America to visit my auntie and uncle who lived in Los Angeles.

But before I left, the Panthers got wind of it and gave me an assignment that you have to

make contact with the Black Panther Party in America. So, wow, a whole lot of pressure on me,

I was terrified. This is Melanie and I, the founding member of the Polynesian Panthers.

Oh my gosh, what am I going to do? So, you know, being the resourceful person I was,

I looked them up from the telephone book and got the headquarters and spoke to this really lovely

woman who was really amazed at my phone calls. She would be responding with, who? What?

Where? Where's New Zealand? You know? Oh, so relieved. I had something to report back.

And we've kept in touch with the Black Panther's ever since.

So, how did Melanie, whose life had been dominated by church, family and school, end up making

such an unlikely connection? To understand how things got to that point, we have to rewind 25 years.

Melanie's grandparents first came to New Zealand from the Pacific Island of Samoa in the late 1940s.

They were encouraged to migrate by the New Zealand government along with thousands of other Polynesians

to fill a labour shortage. In 1953, Melanie was born in Auckland. We were living in slum-like areas.

Oh my gosh, I will never forget having to use our outside toilet, especially at night,

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