By: Trevor Loudon | New Zeal
Teanau Tuiono is a self-proclaimed communist and a senior member of the New Zealand Parliament with the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.
He was born into a radical family.
Over the many years, I have been inspired politically by many people. But way before I had ever heard of Angela Davis, Emma Goldman, Eva Rickard, Fanon, Chomsky, or Marx, my first political role model was my mum.
Teanau Tuiono has deep ties with Pacific and American militants and has traveled to communist Cuba, circa 1998.
I had just finished uni. I had been staying with First Nations people just North of Albuquerque. I made my way down to Texas and walked into Mexico. I remember crossing the border over the Rio Grande which was more concrete and barbwires than river – and there was a massive mural of Che Guevara painted facing the American side with some anti-imperialist slogan. I figured I was going the right way. I made my way down to Mexico City met up with Communist comrades from Aotearoa and we flew into Havana.
Teanau Tuiono worked closely with fellow radical Kiritapu Allan, until recently a Labour Minister of Justice.
Both were supporters of the Urewera 17 – a group of Maori radicals and white anarchists caught training with weapons in the Urewera mountains – reportedly in preparation for an armed uprising against the New Zealand government.
The Urewera 17 were supporters of Mexico’s Marxist Zapatista rebels, as is Teanau Tuiono himself.
Circa 2011, Urewera 17 leader Tame Iti, visited Teanau Tuiono, then working for the United Nations in Paris.
The pair flew the Maori sovereignty flag in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Tame Iti left, Teanau Tuiono right
Teanau Tuiono is also a big supporter of the Marxist Palestinian revolution.
In 2017, Teanau Tuiono also joined the communist-led Keystone Pipeline protests in South Dakota.
In 2019 Teanau Tuiono travelled to the Philippines, with Australian Greens Senator and lifelong communist Lee Rhiannon and former Workers Communist League activist, turned First Union leader Robert Reid.
The visit was partially organized by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines – a support network for the Philippines’ communist revolutionary movement.
(See more|Teanau Tuiono…)
