Leo Hannett (17 July 1941 – 18 June 2018) was a Bougainvillean and Black Power activist, playwright, journalist and politician who played a significant role in Papua New Guinea's anti-colonial struggle and movements for the autonomy and independence of Bougainville.
[3] Hannett was one of a group of Bougainvillean students living in the territorial capital of Port Moresby who in 1968 called for a referendum to be held on Bougainville's future.
[5][6] Interviewed by The Sydney Morning Herald he declared himself committed to non-violence and cited his influences as James Baldwin, Tom Mboya, Dag Hammarskjöld and Mahatma Gandhi.
[7] Hannett made clandestine visits to Honiara around the same time, exploring the possibility of Bougainville's union with the Solomon Islands.
[8] In September 1975, following dissatisfaction with proposals for PNG's new constitution related to the distribution of profits from the Panguna mine, Hannett joined with others in Bougainville in proclaiming the unilateral declaration of independence of the Republic of the North Solomons.