Te Pāti Māori will no longer engage with the New Zealand Herald after their disgusting attack on tangata whenua on the front-page of their 7 August tabloid.

“We will not tolerate the spread of anti-Māori propaganda in Aotearoa. The frontpage advertisement was full of deceitful misinformation designed to sow resentment of our people,” said co-leader, Rawiri Waititi.

“The New Zealand Herald have allowed themselves to be bought off by a well-resourced anti-Māori collective. They have promoted misinformation on their front page so they can feast off the anti-Māori agenda being pursued by this government.”

“This is not about Hobson’s Pledge. Their racism is well-known. It’s about the integrity of the media and their moral obligation to the indigenous people of this land. It’s about their obligation to do their due diligence and uphold the truth,” said co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“Te Pāti Māori cannot engage with a platform that enables harm on our people and the spread of misinformation. We are therefore demanding NZME to act immediately.

Te Pāti Māori demands:

• The New Zealand Herald and NZME group make a written apology to tangata whenua in all publications, and voice it on all radio frequencies
• A formal apology for all staff members, advertisers
• That their advertising standards are reviewed, including the adoption of a robust plan and commitment to the protection of tangata whenua
• That a process for qualifying information as correct is adopted in these standards

“Until our demands for reconciliation are met, the NZ Herald will remain whitelisted.”

“The media have a long history of propagating anti-Māori narratives. They have fuelled fear, division, and racism for as long as they have existed in this country. Aotearoa will no longer accept this,” said Waititi.

Te Pāti Māori will also write a formal complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Authority.

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