Anti-Vietnam War Protests in New ZealandThe protests that occurred in New Zealand in the Anti-Vietnam War Movement were part of a wide-ranging protest action in NZ from mid-1960’s onwards which was led by the growing counter-culture movement. As the war progressed a younger more militant wave of protest emerged which was aimed not at anti-conscription but rather echoed the international condemnation of the war through powerful anti-authoritarian, anti-war and pacifism forces. New methods of protest were seen throughout this time which included mass mobilizations, marches, rallies, hunger strikes, music, theatrical productions, film evenings, speeches and teach ins. On top of this between 1967 to 1970 there were "339 street demonstrations throughout New Zealand" (Belich).
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The growing movement set out to attack the right of a superpower to put its military into a country with a largely peasant population. Media coverage showing images of the Vietnam War’s human toll began to appear nightly on NZ TV as well as other atrocities occurring during the war being broadcasted. This lead to the number of protesters growing into the tens of thousands which posed a political issue for the government of new Zealand. A. Garfinkle in his book “Telltale Hearts: The Origin and Impact of the Vietnam Anti-War Movement” comments on the Anti-War radicalism “consisted of a powerful psychological parallax that united politics, sex, and religion, all organised around a general assault on the presumed hypocrisy of existing social mores.” The people wanted to create a change.
Anti-Vietnam war groups organised mobilisations against the war in major towns and cities and thousands rallied against the war in notable public actions between 1967 and 1973. In June 1968 the Wellington COV organised mass protest during the simultaneous hosting of the SEATO council meeting and the ‘Peace, Power and Politics’ conference, as this was seen as a time to gain significant notice. This mass protest occurred in the same month as My Lai Massacre when American soldiers killed around 500 Vietnamese women, children and elderly. This event caused outrage across the world and was the beginning of many countries opposition towards American motives. In this demonstration an argument arose with people stating the pros and cons of war, a dozen police managed to separate the opposing factions before the arguing became violent. This protest had press attention and was written up in "The Press" shown below. A demonstration outside parliament in 1969, soon became a protest against the US military, SEATO agreements and the War in Vietnam, which lead to the cancellation of the outdoor ceremony marking the opening of Parliament. Other protests include marches down Lambton Quay in Wellington in April 1970 which coincided with the opening of Parliament by Queen Elizabeth II. These protests all occurred at public places such as one on the 12 May 1971 outside the Auckland Town Hall as protesters gain more public attention. A significant protest for the movement was held on the 21st April 1972. This demonstration was held in conjunction with the National Anti-War conference at Auckland University. By this time direct New Zealand involvement in the Vietnam conflict was decreasing. Members of the Labour Party marched down lower Queen Street on this day and were amongst around 1000 protesters who marched on the United States Consulate to demand the immediate withdrawal of all American and Allied forces from Vietnam. The anti-Vietnam War protest movement brought together diverse parts of New Zealand society. Members of Auckland’s Polynesian community marched during a anti-war moblisation on the 14 July 1972 and women in part of a protest movement claimed a distinctive female opposition which eventually expanded into broader rights movement. Committees formed such as the Christchurch Moblization Committee Against the War in Vietnam which promoted marches and gained public attention with the aim that "Partial withdrawal is not enough, withdraw all New Zealand forces from Indochina now". This primary document however has limitations from a historians perspective as it does not have a date of publication, which is an issue with many documents that become archives.
Anti-Vietnam war groups organised mobilisations against the war in major towns and cities and thousands rallied against the war in notable public actions between 1967 and 1973. In June 1968 the Wellington COV organised mass protest during the simultaneous hosting of the SEATO council meeting and the ‘Peace, Power and Politics’ conference, as this was seen as a time to gain significant notice. This mass protest occurred in the same month as My Lai Massacre when American soldiers killed around 500 Vietnamese women, children and elderly. This event caused outrage across the world and was the beginning of many countries opposition towards American motives. In this demonstration an argument arose with people stating the pros and cons of war, a dozen police managed to separate the opposing factions before the arguing became violent. This protest had press attention and was written up in "The Press" shown below. A demonstration outside parliament in 1969, soon became a protest against the US military, SEATO agreements and the War in Vietnam, which lead to the cancellation of the outdoor ceremony marking the opening of Parliament. Other protests include marches down Lambton Quay in Wellington in April 1970 which coincided with the opening of Parliament by Queen Elizabeth II. These protests all occurred at public places such as one on the 12 May 1971 outside the Auckland Town Hall as protesters gain more public attention. A significant protest for the movement was held on the 21st April 1972. This demonstration was held in conjunction with the National Anti-War conference at Auckland University. By this time direct New Zealand involvement in the Vietnam conflict was decreasing. Members of the Labour Party marched down lower Queen Street on this day and were amongst around 1000 protesters who marched on the United States Consulate to demand the immediate withdrawal of all American and Allied forces from Vietnam. The anti-Vietnam War protest movement brought together diverse parts of New Zealand society. Members of Auckland’s Polynesian community marched during a anti-war moblisation on the 14 July 1972 and women in part of a protest movement claimed a distinctive female opposition which eventually expanded into broader rights movement. Committees formed such as the Christchurch Moblization Committee Against the War in Vietnam which promoted marches and gained public attention with the aim that "Partial withdrawal is not enough, withdraw all New Zealand forces from Indochina now". This primary document however has limitations from a historians perspective as it does not have a date of publication, which is an issue with many documents that become archives.
Slide Show Source John Miller: 1. http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/photo/protesters-wellington-1970 2. http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/photo/union-supporters-anti-vietnam-war-protest 3. www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/photo/anti-vietnam-war-protest-wellington 4. http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/photo/anti-vietnam-war-protesters-parliament 5. http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/photo/anti-war-protesters-161-battery-parade 6. http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/photo/protesters-march-united-states-consulate-auckland 7. http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/photo/women-protest-against-vietnam-war 8. http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/photo/labour-party-members-protest-auckland 9. http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/photo/polynesian-protesters-march-auckland 10. http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/photo/anti-war-protest-auckland 11. http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/photo/tame-iti-john-ohia-anti-war-protest