February 14, 2020
Jones concedes Maori gratitude petiton not defamatory
Sir Bob Jones has abandoned his defamation case against filmmaker Renae Maihi.
His lawyers told the High Court at Wellington this morning they would drop the case before any defence witnesses were called.
During cross-examination, the property magnate admitted he had not actually read the petition organised by Maihi.
The petition called for him to be stripped of his knighthood because a column he wrote calling for Waitangi Day to be renamed Māori gratitude day was racist and hate speech.
More than 90,000 people have signed the petition.
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