Geez! The degree of anger our front page ad generated could run New Zealand's power grid for a month🔥

The reaction from activists and politicians has been (as predicted) over-the-top and aggressive. It is no surprise, but it still makes me shake my head. If someone could explain to me what is racist about the statement "we are all New Zealanders"that would be great.

Some extremists and radicals believe they are entitled to be as inflammatory as they like, but when an alternative perspective is voiced they cry crocodile tears that it is fuelling tension.

It is interesting to see the elite Māori activists all put their two cents in. It's always the same people from the media and politics. They have appointed themselves the authorities on what every Hone, Tamati, and Tui think about the world.

WE ARE SORRY 😔

We do owe you an apology though... because apparently we got it all wrong. None of this is happening. You will only be safe if you immediately proceed to the nearest pile of sand and stick your head in it.

We should never have used the map from the Te Arawhiti (Māori Crown Relations) website. Their tool that shows how much of the coast is under current application by iwi is - according to NZ Twitter - "misinformation," "racist," "propaganda," and part of an extensive web of right wing conspiracies 🤷

Next time we will just ask John Tamihere or Khylee Quince to draw us a map.

The chairs of the Māori Journalists' Association are furious with us. And the Herald. And anyone who doesn't agree with their specific view of the world. 

They seem to think that unless people are advocating for their particular opinion of the Treaty, they must be shut down. That is wrong. New Zealanders are allowed to think differently than that promoted by Radio New Zealand and some racist activists.

Not all Māori agree with the chairs of the Māori Journalists’ Association. I don't. We don't. And we hold many different views.

Our ad was indeed a “deliberate attempt to sway public opinion” as the Radio New Zealand article accuses; but not “against Māori interests”. This is a disgusting smear. We stand for a New Zealand where we have equal rights and interests, whether Māori or non-Māori. 

The Māori Journalists’ Association need to point to the parts of the ad they believe are “misinformation” and provide evidence for their disgraceful accusations. They apparently need to be reminded that just disagreeing with something doesn't make it false.

Ironically, in her article about how inaccurate and harmful our ad is, Shilo Kino forgets to be accurate, fair, and balanced herself. She reckons that private companies should make their business decisions based on her personal politics. 

The New Zealand Herald is not a public entity. Perhaps the media industry wouldn’t be in such dire straits if they weren’t so pestered and bullied by activists like Shilo Kino who want to dictate the content of their advertisements. Judging by her public list of grievances, she would be vetoing advertisers left, right, and centre.

But, after reading that she is a serial reporter of ads to the Advertising Standards Authority it is hard to take her seriously. The ASA probably have a special shelf just for her complaints. 

Willie Jackson of course popped up to say his bit. He reckons:

"[Hobson's Pledge] love perpetrating lies and one of those lies is that we are going to block people from our beaches and we are going to take over the country. We are under attack constantly." 

The Māori Journalists' Association also pulled the victim card. Radio NZ reported that the group are "concerned for the Herald's Māori journalists and had reached out to them to offer support."

I hope no journalists are distressed due to seeing something they disagree with in the newspaper. That's just embarrassing. It makes a joke of both the credibility and robustness of journalists. They are surely faced with many things that they disagree with or are offended by every day.

It also makes me wonder if the Association care if other New Zealanders are distressed when content is published that suggests they are secondary to anyone with Māori heritage.

>>> SIGN OUR "APPALLING" PETITION TO SAVE OUR SHORES <<<

Fact checkers can drop us a line if they have actual evidence to contradict us.

But angry words from professional activists won't stop us from bringing this issue into the light.

It is true that iwi have applications currently in the courts for most of the coast. If awarded this gives them customary marine title which operates similarly to ownership.

It is true that holders of customary titles have a right of veto over all resource consents and conservation activities; involvement in coastal planning and policy development; the ability to charge commercial operators, 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.

It is true recreational fishing, navigation, and public access, are meant to be protected but in reality...nope! Fishing comps have been shut down, boulders dropped in front of entrances to beaches, and entire beaches shut off to public access. The Police have shown they aren't keen to take action when New Zealanders rights are breached either. This means that iwi can bar access unlawfully and no one will stop them.

New Zealand is at a race relations crossroads and we are entitled to consider a variety of views on our future.

It follows that those who seek to win a battle of ideas by shutting down their opponents don't think they can succeed by persuasion.

At the end of the day, all these tantrums and attacks in the media basically ensure that more Kiwis see our ad and hear our message. People who don't spend their lives obsessed with race and looking for ways to be the victim can see our ad is not racist. They think for themselves. 

And most New Zealanders know the way forward lies in William Hobson’s words at Waitangi in 1840: He iwi tahi tātou / We are now one people.

We are making sure New Zealanders know just how much of our coast is being carved up into customary marine titles and today we hit the front page.

It is thanks to Hobson's Pledge supporters, like you, who chipped in to our Save Our Shores fund that we have been able to place ads on the *FRONT PAGE* of today's New Zealand Herald plus the inside cover.

Additionally, you'll find similar full page ads in several regional papers this week.

We are expecting some blowback and the poor folks at the Herald will no doubt be receiving complaints, but this is because our opponents don't want New Zealanders to be informed on this issue. If we weren't exposing truths that Te Pāti Māori and the like don't want to be public knowledge they wouldn't react so aggressively to our attempts to gather awareness.

Speaking of which, I read this morning that New Plymouth Councillor Murray Chong has been targeted due to his opposition to Māori Wards. Someone fired a shot at his car!

The poor man is clearly terrified for himself and his family. He told reporters:

"I'm now scared. I've had my life threatened several times in letters.

"I now can't walk by myself at night because I've been told I will be king-hit and I'll wake up in a hospital. I've had people say they will grab my dog, chop it up into quarters and leave it on my doorstep. I've had my daughter hassled."

It is worth remembering that these threateners and thugs are extremists. Murray Chong may be in the minority on the council, but polling shows that New Zealanders (including a majority of Te Pāti Māori voters) support referenda for Māori Wards!

This incident, as well as the other harassment Councillor Chong has endured due to his stance on Māori Wards and related policies, demonstrates how high the political temperature is in New Zealand currently.

Because of this, I have reached out to Te Pāti Māori co-leaders offering a joint statement condemning the violence directed at Murray Chong and calling for calm. We await their response and will go ahead with a solo statement this evening if they decline or we don't hear back.

These are incredible times. I share your intense dedication to pursuing our goal of an equal and unified New Zealand. Hobson's Pledge will not take our foot off the pedal, but we will do so with an utter commitment to non-violent advocacy and activism.

I urge you to join us in standing firm in our beliefs and principles and rejecting violence.

Cheers again, to everyone who contributed to the Save Our Shores fund. We'll be in touch with more details as to the next stage of this campaign.

P.S. Keep an eye out for another small campaign we are kicking off soon to ensure that our Prime Minister doesn't listen to John....

Did you catch this Herald article over the weekend?

Former National Party leader Sir John Key has urged people to “take the temperature down a wee bit” in the debate surrounding race issues. He believes this is an area where any government needs to “tread carefully.”

He also mentioned recent issues such as ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill, the removal of Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act, and National’s move to overturn a court decision on the Marine and Coastal Area Act.

It seems clear that Sir John Key prefers to avoid difficult conversations. When he was Prime Minister, he favoured deals that solved immediate problems and did not allow division and resentment to foster in the long term.

The reality is, if we had always trod carefully and feared stepping on toes, we wouldn’t have achieved nearly as much progress in halting separatism as we have.

Avoiding tough discussions has led successive governments to allow officials in Wellington (as well as special interests) to take New Zealand down a dangerous path of co-governance and a two-tier democracy. There’s still a long way to go to ensure equal rights for all, and we certainly won't get there if our political leaders are too timid to talk about it!

Restoring public access to the foreshore and seabed in the Marine and Coastal Area Act, removing Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act, and addressing ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill are ongoing issues that can’t be ignored simply because Sir John Key suggests we "cool down."

He stated: “The important thing is that we’re all New Zealanders and I think everybody wants to live in a place where we can respect one another, get along well, and foster a better New Zealand. So I’d kind of encourage everyone to maybe take the temperature down a wee bit.”

This is exactly the point.

These conversations must persist because we share a vision of New Zealand where everyone is equal and where no one is given special rights based on their ancestry or skin colour.

“You should always treat race issues carefully because, in the end, we all want to live in a harmonious society. Māori are the indigenous population of New Zealand and Treaty partners, so you have to treat them with respect and care,” Sir John added.

While we respect Sir John Key’s contribution, we must respectfully disagree.

Capitulating to special interests is not a sign of respect or caring.

If we respect the value of all New Zealanders, we must discuss any moves to weaken our democracy.

What is there to disagree with in the Treaty Principles Bill?

• The Bill aims to finally define the principles of the Treaty as frequently mentioned in law and clarify what the three articles of the Treaty actually mean in 2024 and for the future (and reject what the activist academics have reinterpreted it to say).
• It will not alter the Treaty itself.
• New Zealanders as a whole have never been democratically consulted on these "Treaty principles."
• The Bill seeks to clarify that the Treaty was meant to ensure equality for all, not to justify offering different access to taxpayer-funded services, guaranteed positions on government boards, or a separate healthcare authority based on ancestry.
• It promotes equality before the law.

The issue isn’t the content of the Bill but the fact that it’s even considered controversial. This should be a concern for the National Party

The decisions to create and remove Māori Wards are once again in the hands of local communities!

From now on local communities can demand a referendum on Māori Wards if they gather 5% of voters' signatures. Councils that have already brought in Māori wards without a referendum will need to hold one - or scrap the wards they had set up.

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown said:

"[Labour] took away the voices of local communities across the country and undermined the principles of democracy. Today is a great day for local democracy."

Don't under-estimate the role you and other Hobson's Pledge supporters played in ensuring this legislation was introduced by the Government and passed.

As you know, we have been making noise about Māori Wards for a long time. We opposed Labour's underhanded changes to the law in 2022 and were on the frontline of the battle in Rotorua when the council attempted to do away with proportionate democracy. 

This is a moment for celebration. Local democracy has been restored.

However, through the passing of this bill we have also seen the reason for Hobson's Pledge's existence reaffirmed. The media reporting has been outrageous.

The ridiculous claims of "racism" from opposition parties have been used to frame the narrative of this legislation. It has been presented as if it is an almost universally held truth that the bill is racist, but polling shows New Zealanders support referenda for Māori Wards.

Even Te Pāti Māori voters support referenda for Māori Wards when polled!

And Labour's accusations are bizarre given this law change simply returns us to the way things were under Helen Clark's Māori Ward law. Imagine the names 2024 Labour would call Helen Clark's Governments!

The media is operating as the Government's extra Opposition when it comes to matters of race-based policies and equal rights. Only the negative perspectives and often the extreme rhetoric of Te Pāti Māori get proper coverage.

Hobson's Pledge is increasingly finding that we have to look for ways to get the truth out to New Zealanders that bypass the media gatekeepers. We couldn't do this without supporters like you. It is people power that enables us to get the word out and mobilise New Zealanders to put pressure on our elected officials.

And the fight is never-ending! This week Te Pāti Māori have announced they want Waitangi Tribunal rulings to be binding on the Government. Are they kidding? We may as well chuck our democracy out the window and let the Tribunal rule over us unelected and with total control.

We have a petition to end the Waitangi Tribunal. If you haven't signed it yet, click here. 

There is a lot to do and this may just be our busiest year yet. But, now is the best chance we have to make change and set New Zealand on the right path. If we don't take our opportunities now, I fear it will be too late.

Cheers to Māori Ward referenda and cheers to fighting the good fight.