February 12, 2018
Jones’ joke crosses line into racial abuse
A Mataatua kaumatua says property magnate Sir Robert Jones crossed the line from satire to racism in an attack in Waitangi Day observances.
The column in the National Business Review, Sir Robert said there should be a Maori Gratitude Day instead.
The controversy looks set to drag on, with Sir Robert threatening to sue filmmaker Renae Maihi for creating an online petition calling for him to be stripped of his knighthood.
Mataatua District Maori Council chair Maanu Paul says it exposed the persistent underbelly of New Zealand racism.
"Old people, old white people believe they still have the right to ridicule other people and to make what they say are satirical comments about people but they are actually racist," he says.
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