I'm sure you've been wondering what is happening with Hobson's Pledge's legal defence of Don.

First, I want to say thank you! Your contribution to Don's Defence fund has ensured that we could assure lawyers of support to take the next steps.

Letters have been going back and forth with Matthew Hooton's lawyers. True to form Hooton attempted to dodge accountability by posting a partial and barbed apology on his Patreon account (but not to his mailing list) and palming it off to Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury to read aloud at the end of a podcast episode.

Not good enough. He tried to frame up his rant as just part of a 'debate' with Don, when he has not bothered to engage on the real isues with Don for many years.

As it has been so vital to the go-ahead for this important action, we’re sharing with supporters who have helped make it happen, the letter that went to Hooton's lawyers today. You can also see the 'Statement of Claim' to be filed next week, if he continues to fudge.

You can read the letter here.

And the Statement of Claim here.

Money matters:

There has been some discussion of remedies and costs to be paid if Hooton is to avoid a law-suit. We’ve redacted those aspects from the letter and Statement of Claim because those negotiations are live. Defamation action in New Zealand is notoriously expensive. Defamation liability is a vital part of society’s defences against the pollution of public discourse with coldly calculated lies – the true ‘disinformation’. So the compensation awards have to be large now. That is the only way to ensure that even winners are not losers. They get vindicated when the court establishes that lies have been spread about them. But they need to win both compensation and a legal cost award, to cover the costs and the risks of the action. Don has made it clear that when he gets vindication, anything left over will go to Hobson's Pledge. 

Next steps:

Hopefully, my next update to you will be that Hooton has made a full apology and delivered it in appropriate forums. We would love to see this resolved without having things escalate further. But, if Hooton is determined to drag this on, we will lodge the Statement of Claim on Monday.

The ability for us to bring lawyers on board to defend Don is important not only because he has dedicated decades to arguing for equality and unity in New Zealand in measured ways, but because the same slurs Hooton so appallingly threw out about Don get used against all of us who share Don's vision for New Zealand.

We should be able to have discussions about the future of our country and object to different rights based on who one's ancestors were without being attacked and called names. 

We have all taken so much on the chin, especially over the last few years, and we shouldn't have to. This legal action represents us standing up and refusing to be demeaned, demonised, and silenced by bullies. 

It means the world to Don and to all of us at Hobson's Pledge that you are standing with us. 

Time is short! Submissions on the Marine and Coastal Area Amendment Bill (MACA) are now open, but not for long.

SUBMISSIONS CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT ON 15 OCTOBER

Making things even more challenging is the fact that the Justice Committee is doing its best to prevent your submission. They will not accept email submissions and are saying that everyone has to use their webform. This would prevent you from being able to use our easy tool.

We create these tools because of how onerous it can be to use the Parliamentary process. We provide the points that we think are important and you can pick and choose those that you agree with as well as enter your own text. 

We are facilitating more New Zealanders to have their say.

It is almost like the Justice Committee doesn't want submissions on the Bill. They certainly want to place roadblocks in the way.

We offered to provide them with one file containing all submissions but they said that was too much of an administrative burden. Our alternative is simply to collect all of the submissions and then print every single one... I suspect that will be more of an administrative burden for the select committee staff.

And won't someone think of the trees!

We will get your submissions in to the Justice Committee. Leave that with us. You just need to head to our website and put together your submission in a few short minutes.

This is important. Every submission counts. We have made the process simple and quick for you so please head to our submission tool and have your say.

We encourage you to support the passing of the Bill but there are some significant improvements that the Justice Committee needs to be urged to implement.

It is good news that the Government intends to return the law back to the original 2011 intention, but we are still wanting more – first and foremost that the Crown resumes ownership of all foreshore and seabed for all New Zealanders as it did under the Foreshore and Seabed Act in 2004.

We’ve analysed the bill for you, and got some legal advice too. There are a lot of good aspects to it. For example, the Government is reigning in the increasingly activist courts, returning the law back to what Parliament intended in 2011. Criteria are being tightened up with iwi needing to prove exclusive and ongoing use since 1840.

But there are some problems too. Chief among those is the fact that for those who are successful in their claims there are substantial special rights awarded. These include the ability to apply wāhi tapu (sacred areas) and rahui (bans); veto over most resource consents and conservation activities; involvement in coastal planning and policy development; the ability to charge commercial operators; the ability to restrict public access through wāhi tapu; and ownership rights to all non-nationalised minerals – including royalties from existing mining operations, back-dated to when the application was first submitted.

You can dress up customary titles however you want, but it is still a type of ownership and other than ‘a promise we won’t’, there is little to stop iwi exercising considerable control.

Like all of the matters we tackle, equality is at the heart of how we view this bill. This is about equal ownership rights, equal access to beaches, equal and fair processes for resource consents and planning. 

New Zealanders who care about the future of our country must speak up now. It is now or never. If this Government doesn't succeed in putting us on a pathway to a future where who one's ancestors were has no relevance to what our political rights are today, there may never be another opportunity to achieve that goal. Submitting on bills like this is a key way you can do your bit to fight for this future. 

Make sure to add your own thoughts to the submission and emphasise that New Zealand is big trouble if we continue along the route Jacinda Ardern and the Labour Māori Caucus charted. We need to course correct and head towards equality of citizenry.

Do pass this email or the link to our submission tool on to any New Zealanders who share our vision of New Zealand where we are all treated equally under the law. The more voices heard the better.

Don't forget that the submission period is woefully short so you only have until the 15th of October to have your say. It only takes a few minutes so why not do your submission now?     

Thank you for your ongoing support and please submit today!

Universities are bad enough these days for pushing a particular set of politics. Well-adjusted, intelligent young people enter university and then emerge a few years later identifying as Marxists and arguing for separatism.

Now the University of Auckland wants to take the indoctrination further.

Whether you want to study engineering, accounting, philosophy, or chemistry, you will be required to complete a mandatory course covering the Treaty of Waitangi and New Zealand history.

This will also apply to international students who may only be in New Zealand for the duration of their studies. 

It means that of the eight courses/papers that a student enrols in for first year, one will have to be the mandatory Māori course. This gives them one less course to choose for themselves.

I assume that they will still be obliged to pay for the course, despite it being compulsory.

Some people I've spoken to have said "so what? Isn't it good if people understand our history and the Treaty better?" I share with them my main objections:

1. The facts around the Treaty and our history are highly contested. There are polarised views about whether Māori ceded sovereignty, for example. The people who are involved in writing and delivering these courses are likely to be radicals - like many in academia - who will teach their opinions as truth.

2. It is mandatory. If a person wants to study the Treaty, New Zealand history, Māori mythology, and te reo they should enrol in a course to do so. They're entitled to seek that kind of education, but no one should be forced into it.

It is indoctrination. It is propaganda. And I have no doubt it is deliberate.

The long march through the institutions has been very successful for socialist identitarians. Chief among their successes has been capturing the institutions of education. Our children are being educated to think like the braying mob who call everything racist and want us to be separated into race-based categories with different rights.

I detest seeing the bright minds of New Zealand's future being taught that critical thinking is bad and equality is evil. I frequently hear from parents who feel like a wedge is being driven between them and their children by their schools, universities, and the people who teach them.

This issue further highlights the fundamental problem with universities making the Treaty of Waitangi a key part of their vision and claiming to be "Treaty-led". This makes critiques of the Treaty beyond the pale. At universities there should be no 'sacred cows' like this.

Anyway, what do these universities think their role is in the Treaty? The Treaty is between the Crown and iwi. I guess funding models could allow universities to be shoe-horned into the Crown, but it is a bit odd for them to stick their oar into something they have no business being in.

Hobson's Pledge have some serious questions about the course, including:

- Can a student object? Opt out?

- Can a student challenge the narratives being taught (as they would expect to be able to do in other courses)?

- Will students be subjected to disciplinary action or poor grades if they state that Māori did cede sovereignty in 1840?

- Who is writing the course?

- How much will it cost students?

We have written to the University of Auckland seeking answers and expressing our concerns about the mandatory course. Add your signature to our open letter now.

There is always strength in numbers and our hope is that in collecting signatures supporting our letter we can demonstrate to the decision-makers at the University of Auckland that this is a concern for many.

It’s been another busy week as we advocate for a fair and equal New Zealand, and there’s certainly no shortage of challenges ahead! There are a number of topics to discuss, but I thought I would highlight three, including that submissions for the MACA Bill will soon be opening.

MACA Update

On Tuesday, the government introduced its Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) (Customary Marine Title) Amendment Bill. It has successfully passed its first reading and is now with the Justice Select Committee.

We’re pleased to see progress on this key part of the coalition agreement. As many of you know, the courts’ novel approach has led to most of New Zealand’s shoreline being claimed by iwi as customary title.

The amendment bill aims to clarify what Parliament originally intended in 2011—that iwi must clearly demonstrate their consistent and exclusive occupation of the land adjacent to the foreshore being claimed from 1840 onwards.

Importantly, Hobson’s Pledge advocates for a law change to return our seabed and foreshore to Crown ownership for the benefit of all New Zealanders. While we will continue to push for this change, we find much to agree with in the Government’s current proposal.

Public submissions will open soon, and it’s crucial to note that the Government is rushing this process, with the committee required to report back by December 5, 2024.

Stay tuned for more information about the bill and how Hobson’s Pledge can assist you with your submissions.

More Newspaper Ads

You may have noticed the ACT Party’s ads appearing in some newspapers today. While the Stuff-aligned papers (The Post, Waikato Times, and The Press) welcomed their ad, the New Zealand Herald chose not to publish it.

It seems the Herald is still recovering from the backlash caused by our front-page ad and hasn’t yet learned its lesson. Advocating for the fair and equal treatment of all New Zealanders should never be censored.

We’re glad to see ACT sharing its rationale for the Treaty Principles Bill. At Hobson’s Pledge, we will continue to express our strong views and support all New Zealanders in having their say.

Real Estate Agent Penalties

Did you hear that another real estate agent has lost their license for failing to complete the Real Estate Institute’s compulsory course on Māori culture and tikanga?

In this case, Michael Wilson—a realtor and contestant on TV’s Married at First Sight—failed to meet the requirements due to time constraints.

The media noted that we at Hobson’s Pledge are still supporting another realtor, Janet Dickson, who has rightly refused to undertake the course, citing its irrelevance to her work. We will continue to stand by her and anyone facing unnecessary cultural indoctrination.

This latest incident underscores that media and others will seize every opportunity to ‘name and shame’ individuals who do not comply with these cultural courses. The message is clear: complete these courses quietly, and you’ll be left alone.

Thank you for your ongoing support.