Activist priest dies at 78

Father Terry Dibble. Photo / Supplied

Father Terry Dibble, a lifelong campaigner for social justice, died in Auckland yesterday, aged 78.

Father Dibble acted not only as a chaplain but also a front-line activist in protest movements ranging from the historic occupation of Bastion Pt by Ngati Whatua, East Timor and tenants protection to the fierce anti-Springbok Tour battles of 1981.

He was in the front row of campaigners who surged into the middle of Rugby Park in Hamilton in 1981 and forced the cancellation of the Springboks versus Waikato match.