Socialist Aotearoa

Socialist Aotearoa is an Auckland based Trotskyist organization led by Joe Carolan.

Comrades at Ihumātao

Socialist Aotearoa July 27 2019. Comrades at Ihumātao.

— with Malcolm Freeman, Sandra Bell, Jennifer Pannell.

Love Aotearoa Hate Racism

March 25 2019 nearly 4,000 people gathered in central Auckland yesterday in a brilliant display of solidarity with the victims of the Christchurch mosque attacks, and in opposition to racism, Islamophobia and fascism.

The march, organised by Love Aotearoa Hate Racism, began in Aotea Square, with the names of the victims of March 15’s mosque shootings read out by Bosnian refugee and trade union activist Hana Obradovic. This was followed by a two-minute silence before the march moved off up Queen Street. The mood was defiant and energetic, with chants of “when migrant lives are under attack, stand up fight back!” and “the people, united, will never be defeated!” Up the front were a mix of flags and banners representing tangata whenua, the Migrant Workers Association, Dayenu: NZ Jews Against the Occupation, several unions including Unite, FIRST, E tu, and NZNO, and two political organisations, Socialist Aotearoa and Organise Aotearoa.

Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson called the shooting “a watershed moment” which had sparked much-needed conversation about racism in this country. “We have to stand against racism, but we can’t go back to the Aotearoa which allows this racism to stand,” she said.

Love Aotearoa Hate Racism co-founder Joe Carolan said that, although the shootings were the deed of one gunman, the attack is the “tragic consequence” of New Zealand’s failure to address racism.

“This has given confidence to fascist elements here and overseas, culminating in last week’s tragic and harrowing outcome.

Anu Kaloti of the Migrant Workers Association delivered a moving poem she had written ‘I Can’t Sleep’, calling on New Zealanders to not rest until racism is defeated. Other speakers included Māori activist Joe Trinder, Rachel Macintosh of the Council of Trade Unions, investigative journalist Nicky Hager, Mike Treen from Global Peace and Justice Auckland, Jasmine Ali from Melbourne Stand Together Against Racism, Ian Rintoul of the Refugee Action Coalition Sydney, and Elliot Crossan from Socialist Aotearoa. Representatives from the Federation of Islamic Associations NZ and Masjid e Umar spoke on behalf of the Muslim community, and there was a powerful speech from the NZ Palestine Solidarity Network.

MARXISM 2013 – Socialist Aotearoa Conference

Friday 1 November & Saturday 2 November

OPENING SESSION: What changed in 2013? | Friday 1 November: 7.30pm From the election of a neo-liberal government in Australia to the beginning of an American fast food rebellion; Ed Snowden’s NSA revelations and the anti-GCSB protests, to the elevation of David Cunliffe to Labour leader, the welfare reforms and the super-charging of Auckland’s housing crisis; What changed in 2013 and why? And how should the radical left relate to the struggle today?

With: Paddy Gibson, co-editor Solidarity Magazine, organiser Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney; Joe Carolan, Socialist Aotearoa, McStrike campaign organiser; and Nicola Owen, Linda Miller, Bevan Morgan.

SATURDAY SESSIONS: State of the Struggles | Saturday 2 November: 10.30am to 5.30pm

Strike!: The Battle in the Workplace With: Grant Brookes, Nursing unionist and Fightback member; Meredydd Barrar, Vice President NZEI West Auckland branch; Taylor McLoon, Unite delegate and McDonald’s striker.

Te Kapehu Whetū: The Future of Mana With: John Minto Mana’s Auckland Mayoral candidate; Lisa Gibson, Tamaki Makaurau chair; Roger Fowler, Mangere council candidate and Respect Our Community chair; Cheyne Timmermans, Auckland University Mana on Campus co-ordinator.

Rebel History: The Role of Revolutionaries in NZ History Eoin Sher on the Red Federation of Labour and New Zealand’s 1913 Great Strike; Mike Treen on the 1970s and 1980s heyday of the Socialist Action League in the meatworks and campuses of Aotearoa; Roger Fowler on the Communist Party of New Zealand and Socialist Worker; and Joe Carolan on the first five years of Socialist Aotearoa

United We Stand: Marxism and Liberation Jayson Gardiner on tino rangatiratanga today; Nicola Owen on women’s liberation; and Eva Allan on LGBT struggles.

What sort of Marxism do we need in 2013? Paul Brown, on Lenin's theory of the party and the making of the Russian revolution; Dave Josilingon the contemporary debates within Marxism on the economic crisis; and Shane Malva on Marxist storms in academic teacups, what we can learn from Badiou and the Zizek-Chomsky debate.

BBQ and radical folk music by Matt Billington and Paul Brown

2012 "Revolution" conference

The first weekend of September 2012 saw Socialist Aotearoa's Revolution conference held over the weekend at Auckland Trades Hall.

Debating the future of the left on Saturday afternoon, Matt McCarten from Unite union told the conference that Socialist Aotearoa is a small but serious part of the left, respected for its interventions in union disputes and political campaigns and 'Punched above its weight.' Labour MP Darien Fenton also spoke at the closing session, calling for unity on the left to fight the Government. And Joe Carolan from Socialist Aotearoa discussed the situation of the radical left internationally and the success of parties of the radical left such as Die Linke in Germany andSyriza in Greece and the need for a radical left alternative.

Over sixty activists attended through the weekend and important sessions were held on union struggles, the new fights against oppression, the Arab Spring and Marxism today.

A good crowd turned out on Friday night to hear speeches from Miriam Pieard of Aotearoa is Not for Sale, Jai Bentley Paine, from Blockade the Budget, Jimmy O'Dea from the Tamaki Housing Group, Mike Treen from Unite and Joe Carolan from Socialist Aotearoa.

Saturday morning opened with a session on the relevance of Marxist theory followed by a session on the struggles of oppressed peoples. Socialist Aotearoa activist Paul Brown spoke about disabled people fighting against the system of 'Cure, containment and control' and systematic discrimination. "We need to say enough is enough and join disabled people in the fightback.'

Nicola Owen discussed women's oppression and the view of socialists, "Some of the debates that go around the left about do all men benefit from women's oppression. I think it can be quite simply summed up. Your male partner if you are a woman doesn't benefit from you being paid less. Doesn't benefit from not having access to childcare. The question is the question of class and the question of how we unite men and women together to overthrow capitalism."

Jayson Gardiner, gave a speech on class struggle and tino rangatiratanga, "Not all Maori want the same thing. Rich Maori don't care about poor Maori. Same as rich Pakeha and rich Asians don't care about the poor Pakeha or poor Asian. Maori are not united. The only thing we have that we can relate to is the working class struggle, working class Maori, working class Europeans, working class people across the board."

A union session on Saturday afternoon heard from Russell Mayn, Secretary of MUNZ Local 13 on the war still being waged on wharfies by Ports of Auckland. Russell described the constant harrasment and victimisation of union members on the site and the grinding court disputes over rosters and privacy rights. "The attacks on our union are part of an agenda - privatisation by stealth."

Meredydd Barrar, Vice President of NZEI teachers' union West Auckland branch, told the session, "New Zealand's teachers are the lowest paid teachers in the OECD and they work the longest hours." Omar Hamed from Socialist Aotearoa spoke of the need for the union movement to fight attacks on workers rights and push for pay increases together, 'We need to push union leaders to renew their commitment to fight the government.'

The conference acknowledged the need for Socialist Aotearoa members to continue the work in Aotearoa is Not for Sale, in Glen Innes, in the education sector and the union movement to fight the government. Socialist Aoteroa also reaffirmed its alignment with the International Socialist Tendency.