By Elliot Ikilei

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.

Elliot Ikilei
Hobson’s Pledge