Last week Hobson’s Pledge ran ads in the NZ Herald and regional papers. The ads showed a map of how much of New Zealand’s coast is currently under High Court application for Customary Marine Titles. The overleaf covered what rights a Customary Marine Title gives iwi.

“The reaction to our advertisement has been extraordinary. In public, prominent Māori figures have loudly accused Hobson’s Pledge of misinformation, racism, hatred, and more. In private, our inbox has been filled with explicit death threats the likes of which we have never seen before,” Hobson’s Pledge spokesperson Don Brash says.

“There was nothing pejorative or untrue in our ad. Accusations of misinformation have been levelled without evidence or even specifics of what exactly we have got wrong. Given the map was sourced from Te Kete Kōrero a Te Takutai Moana Information Hub (Kōrero Takutai) on the Te Arawhiti Māori Crown Relations website we would expect it to be accurate. Likewise, our information on the rights that come with Customary Marine Titles was sourced from the Te Arawhiti Māori Crown Relations website.

“The level of rage the ad generated speaks to the degree to which radicals have whipped their supporters into a frenzy. It is concerning and appears to be escalating. Hobson’s Pledge has repeated that we abhor political violence and that all of our activism and advocacy is utterly non-violent. Judging by the messages we have received in the past few days, our opponents do not take the same position.

“Our opponents appear not to be angry because we said anything false, but because we printed truthful information that they do not want to be widely understood. Whatever one’s position on customary rights to the foreshore and seabed, New Zealanders having access to more information about it should not be a negative. The information is already there on a Government website, we are simply drawing attention to it.

“Those flinging accusations of misinformation need to front up with evidence to demonstrate what is incorrect.

“Is it not true that almost our entire coastline is currently under High Court Application for customary title? Because the map on a Government website says that is the case.

Is it not true that Customary Marine Title gives iwi the right to veto (say ‘yes’ or ‘no’) to resource consents and conservation activities? Because that’s what the Te Arawhiti website says.

Is it not true that it gives iwi the right to be notified and consulted about marine mammal watching permits and Coastal Policy Statements? Again, see the website. Is it not true that declarations of wāhi tapu can restrict access to areas?

Is it not true that CMT grants iwi ownership of minerals other than petroleum, gold, silver, uranium, and in some circumstances pounamu?

Is it not true that iwi are granted all “newly found taonga tūturu” (treasures of cultural significance)?

And is it not true that iwi can create and lodge plans for the management of natural and physical resources that must be taken into account by local authorities and government? According to the Government’s own website all of this is true.

“Te Pāti Māori should be condemned for attempting to strong arm the media into not publishing advertisements that they disagree with. They are interfering in commercial relationships. The kind of power they are demanding is intoxicating and will not stop here. Once they know they can bully the media they will use the same tactics on other issues and other advertisers. It starts to look like cartel behaviour when activists coordinate to bully businesses which publish information that they don’t want shared.

I repeat, the information on our ad was factual and sourced from a Government website.

We said that we don’t agree with the status quo. If discussing legislation and its implications is now beyond the pale and generates such visceral anger we are in big trouble. Healthy democracies do not accept suppression of political discussion and dissent. Te Pāti Māori and its proxies are welcome to share their alternative perspective, but they aren’t entitled to bully and silence their opponents.”

From Hobson’s Pledge