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Story: Local and regional government

Community protest, Petone, 1972

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Community protest, Petone, 1972

A group of protesters demonstrate outside the offices of the Petone Borough Council in 1972. They were objecting to the council's proposal to build a new rubbish tip in the suburb of Korokoro. In this period increasing environmental awareness prompted communities to engage more actively in local-authority decision-making. In this case the protesters were successful and the tip did not go ahead.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PA-Group-00685)

Reference: EP/1972/5649/15

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Mark Derby, Local and regional government – Reforming local government, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/35394/community-protest-petone-1972 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Mark Derby, published 28 March 2012, updated 1 February 2015.