Maori Revolutionary Syd Jackson Dies

E te rangatira, e te hoa, haere atu ra ki o taua tupuna, hoki wairua mai ki a matou e whai atu ana i muri i a koe.

Union movement pays tribute to Syd Jackson

Press Release: NZCTU
CTU MEDIA RELEASE
04 September 2007

Union movement pays tribute to Syd Jackson

“Syd Jackson’s contribution to the union movement was enormous and he will be sorely missed by the many people whose lives he has touched,” CTU vice president Maori Sharon Clair said today.

“Syd’s contribution to Maori self determination and language became prominent at Auckland University through his leadership in Nga Tama Toa, and he was involved in a number of campaigns, in particular in relation to his commitment to Te Reo Maori.”

“Syd was very strong in his trade unionism, and from his family connections with the freezing works in the Hawkes Bay it became an important part of him from very early on.”

“Syd was a field officer and then secretary of the Clerical Workers Union in Auckland for over a decade, and was a driver for modernising the union.”

“He was involved in the early discussions on the establishment of the Runanga through the Federation of Labour, which later became Te Runanga O Nga Kaimahi Maori through the CTU. It was a huge philosophical departure at the time for unions to acknowledge that there were groups within their membership who required special representation.”

“After he finished his involvement at the Clerical Workers Union in the late 1980s, he went on to become an advocate representing workers in disputes.”

“We extend our sympathy to the Jackson whanau at this time,” Sharon Clair said.

Ends.

Death of Syd Jackson a major loss

Press Release: Green Party
4 September 2007

Syd Jackson excelled as a broadcaster, activist and trade unionist, but was - most of all - a major leader, who through his role in Nga Tamatoa brought Treaty issues to the forefront of the political agenda, Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says.

"He was unswerving in his commitment to Te Tiriti, and he blazed a clear trail for the generation of Maori activists who came after him," Ms Fitzsimons says.

"He helped to make being Maori at university a strength for those of us uncertain of our right to be there. He showed us that radical, tertiary educated Maori can be a major force for change," Greens' Maori Affairs Spokesperson Metiria Turei says.

"Syd was also well known to other Green MPs through his trade union work - and particularly through his groundbreaking efforts in organising Maori workers through their own kaupapa Maori union," Greens' Industrial Relations Spokesperson Sue Bradford says.

The Green Party extends to the Jackson whanau their deepest sympathies.

Poroporoaki: Syd Jackson

Press Release: The Maori Party
Poroporoaki: Syd Jackson

4 September 2007

Dr Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia, Co-leaders Maori Party

“A true agent of transformation has left us” said Tariana Turia, on hearing of the death of long-time friend and veteran activist, Syd Jackson.

“Syd has lived his life with a totally unswerving commitment to revolution” said Mrs Turia.

“Some forty years ago in 1968, it was Syd, the son of the 1937 All Black and Maori Battalion veteran Everard Jackson, who challenged the Federation of New Zealand Māori Students that All Black tours to South Africa should be opposed as a stand against apartheid”.

“His leadership of Ngā Tamatoa in the 1970s, and their staunch advocacy of Brown Power, laid the foundation for a dynamic period of Māori renaissance” said Mrs Turia. Syd Jackson was the former President of the Auckland Maori Students Union and activist group Nga Tamatoa.

“We think of the inspiration of Syd in firmly placing Te Tiriti o Waitangi on the political agenda in all spheres” said Dr Pita Sharples. “He spearheaded the drive for learning te reo Māori, bringing social awareness to the marginalisation of Mäori in New Zealand while at the same time being such a proud advocate of tino rangatiratanga”.

“Syd has made an enormous political impact on Aotearoa, particularly through his role in the union movement” said Dr Sharples. “He had the keen intellect to grasp complex issues, a quality which you would see coming through in campaigns such as encouraging Libya to boycott trade with New Zealand, or protesting against APEC”.

“In more recent years, he brought that same passion and zeal to the health movement, establishing Turuki Healthcare as a pioneering organisation to deliver affordable and accessible healthcare for the people of South Auckland” said Dr Sharples, Member of Parliament for Tamaki Makaurau.

Syd Jackson was also chairperson of Te Kupenga o Hoturoa - the first Māori sponsored PHO; and a Director of Te Roopu Huihuinga Hauora.

“The tragic irony is that right up until the end, Syd pursued his crusade against cancer not just for his own powerful determination to live but also to argue for the rights for all Māori cancer sufferers” said Mrs Turia.

“Syd will be very, very sadly missed” said Mrs Turia. “His Liberation Talkback radioshow gave us all heart to act, to take a stand, to look after our people”.

“Our love and compassion goes to his darling Deirdre, the Jackson whānau, Ngāti Kahunungu and Ngāti Porou who have shared a remarkable man with us - a man who truly dedicated his life to staying true to the kaupapa, to tino rangatiratanga. His legacy has been and will continue to be profound”.

ENDS