April 11, 2019
Wallace farewelled on land he fought for
A funeral service was held this morning for actor and activist Zac Wallace at the South Auckland marae he played a major role in creating.
There has been a stream of mourners to Ngā Whare Waatea Marae over the past three days including people from the communities he worked with, police and justice leaders and members of the Māori screen community.
Marae chair Willie Jackson says when Mr Wallace came across the discussed Social Welfare facility in the early 1980s it was being squatted on by street kids he was working with, so he jumped he fence and turned it into an occupation.
"He was so staunch and the land was just broken down, kids were living in broken cars. He went to Wellington to tono to government and they said 'go for it, we'll set that aside, see what you can do,' so he did all that, we do owe him," Mr Jackson says.
After coming back from Australia a few years ago Zac Wallace married Deidre Nehua and worked with her at the marae on Manukau Urban Māori Authority’s Out of Gate programme creating opportunities for prisoners coming out of jail.
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