On Thursday, Hamilton mayor Andrew King dropped his plan to get the city council to consider changing the name of the council to the Kirikiriroa City Council.

“Words” spoken between Crown/Maori Relations Minister Kelvin Davis, Finance Minister Grant Robertson, and Environment Minister David Parker on Monday prompted Stuff reporter Jo Moir to surmise on how the battle lines are drawn between coalition partners on water rights.

Another tribal rebellions day, planned for this weekend by Northland tribes to remember the sporadic armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand during the 19^th Century, is a good day to remember the 95 non-combatant innocents who were murdered during those conflicts, Hobson’s Pledge spokesperson Casey Costello said today.

A mass haka at Waitangi at 3pm on Friday, March 9, 2018, probably timed for the 6pm news, will kick off the first national tribal rebellions day.

The Green Party’s call to end referenda on Maori wards once again shows that they distrust voter opinion, Hobson’s Pledge spokesperson Casey Costello said today.

Our goal is to remove from law and practice any race-based discrimination in governance and property rights.

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Please sign our petition:

Please sign our petition to Environment Canterbury to block the Ngai Tahu Representation Bill, which will allow Ngai Tahu to appoint two representatives with voting rights onto the Council. It's important that this Bill is voted down, as otherwise it will be used as an excuse for Appointees with voting rights on Regional Councils throughout the country.

Our MPs will be be voting on this profoundly undemocratic Bill early next year.

Click here to sign:  In a democracy, why should Ngai Tahu have more say than you?   Thank you!

Entrenched seats a Political Absurdity

Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirakatene’s Electoral (Entrenchment of Māori Seats) Amendment Bill will, if passed, require a 75% majority in Parliament to disestablish the Maori seats....Read more

Minister, we're in this together - please talk to ALL of us!

Dear Minister, 
We believe that the Government’s move to establish a ministerial responsibility for reviewing the relationship between the Crown and Maori is fraught with danger because it entrenches the notion that the Crown and Maori somehow exist as separate groups in partnership with each other...Read more

Resounding "NO" to Maori wards

Last year Councillors in Palmerston North, Kaikoura, Manawatu, Whakatane and Western Bay of Plenty voted for separate Maori wards. We challenged them. Results to date show an overwhelming rejection of race based wards in Palmerston North, Manawatu, Whakatane and Western Bay of Plenty. Brash - respect "no" votes on Maori wards... Read more

Iwi rights to fresh water on the Government's agenda again

The Hobson's Pledge position on fresh water is that it is there for the benefit of everyone, irrespective of ethnicity, and that a special deal for Maori is out of the question... Read more

Marine and Coastal Area: First Marine and Coastal Area Agreement sets precedent for decades of fresh Treaty negotiations

The first Agreement negotiated under the Marine and Coastal Area (Tukutai Moana) Act 2011 not only confirms widely raised fears of the Crown’s failure to represent the public interest but sets a precedent for fresh rounds of Treaty style negotiations... Read more

Labour list MP Kiri Allan should explain why she thinks Maori aren't good enough to foot it with other Kiwis and need separate wards, Hobson’s Pledge spokesperson Casey Costello said today. The Whakatane-based MP spoke out against a petition calling for a district-wide vote on a proposal by the Whakatane District Council to set up a Maori ward or wards.

Councils in Palmerston North, Manawatu, Whakatane, and Western Bay of Plenty have decided to proceed with Maori wards, so it is over to residents in those areas to have their say.

A decision by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council two days ago to establish one or more Maori wards is patronizing nonsense, Hobson’s Pledge spokesman Don Brash said today.

After reviewing our campaign over the past year in light of the general election result, Hobson’s Pledge members chose to continue as a lobby group.