Joe Trinder

During the 2017 elections, the anti-Māori hate group Hobsons Pledge deployed expensive signage around the Waikato. It was election time and Hobson’s Pledge managed to afford the premium billboard on Mills Street Hamilton. Not even political parties could afford that billboard but an anti-Māori hategroup had an unlimited budget only in the Waikato.

Sir William quoted the book One Treaty, One Nation published by the Anti-Māori publisher Tross Publishing. Tross Publishing is unique in that its literature is only ever critical of Māori New Zealanders. All its publications are based on alleged Māori privilege but deliberately plays down the historical carnage against Māori enacted by British colonists. Any complaints by Māori is a “victim mentality”.

Tross Publishing describes colonisation as a beautiful event for Māoridom. But that’s not their call to make because it’s downright arrogant to claim British colonial “benevolence” when the people you’re claiming you have been so gracious towards squarely disagree.

Here are some of the bombastic claims by Tross Publishing

“Before 1840 was a veritable shambles” -By 1863 British colonists were committing what can only be described as Genocide. Definition “the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group.” A shambles is preferable to genocide.

“Colonisation brought benefits and not disaster .”If you were British under apartheid system where private land was transferred from Māori to British colonists. Having land confiscated can hardly be described as beneficial. Approximately 100,000 Māori died within 50 years of signing the Treaty of Waitangi from disease, warfare and loss of land.

“Māori sovereignty is the enemy of democracy and equality” but the suppression of indigenous rights by a hate group is perfectly acceptable

“The country’s name is being changed by stealth.” The word Aotearoa was in common use by Māori and was not invented by a British Native Land Court judge. Hobson’s Pledge are not experts on the history of Te Reo Māori , they despise the language and want it abolished.

“The Waitangi Tribunal is causing such harm that it must be abolished.” Ok let’s go back to the Privy Council in London, a court not controlled by the New Zealand government to resolve Treaty claims.

“We are losing our beaches to the tribal elite. “ Quite the opposite the Foreshore and Seabed Act denied Iwi a day in court and offered the foreshore to the crown. When did Iwi relinquish ownership of the foreshore because under article 2 of the Treaty its described as “undisturbed estates” (not interrupted or changed in any way).

“Wealthy and commercial tribes pay no tax, “ this is a blatant lie Māori authorities pay 19.5%. This tax rate is standard amongst many non-profits organisations. Bizarrely they never mention the Panama papers where the wealthy British New Zealander elite is deliberately committing tax evasion.

Sir William Gallagher has distanced himself from the Tross Publication and has referred queries to the Hobsons Pledge spokesman Andy Oakley. Andy Oakley has refused any interviews.