Let’s not mince words: Brash’s history is steeped in dog-whistle politics and anti-Māori sentiment. His Hobson’s Pledge lobby group peddles a revisionist fantasy that erases Māori rights under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, framing them as “special privileges” to stoke resentment among Pākehā voters. This is the man who, in 2004, infamously declared Māori were a “privileged” group, ignoring centuries of colonization, land theft, and systemic inequity. Sound familiar? It's no wonder he then became ACT Party leader in 2011. His latest stunt...buying into NZME after they rejected a Hobson’s Pledge ad...showing he’s not content with just shouting from the sidelines. He wants to hijack the megaphone of mainstream media to amplify his toxic narrative.
Here’s a small reminder of Brash’s racism.
Don Brash has lashed out against RNZ reporters for their use of Te Reo Maori on air.
In a statement posted to Facebook on Friday, Mr Brash said he is "utterly sick" of people speaking one of New Zealand's official languages in "what are primarily English-language broadcasts."
Partnering with Grenon, a Canadian billionaire linked to anti-Māori, anti-trans, and anti-vaccine hate blogs, Brash is betting on turning the Herald into a mouthpiece for the far right and their unending culture wars. Brash’s involvement fits like a glove…his rhetoric dovetails with Grenon’s apparent desire to push a divisive agenda that vilifies marginalized groups and rewrites history to suit a settler-colonial fantasy. The prospect of Brash, or his ilk, further influencing editorial decisions at NZME is chilling. Imagine a Herald editorial board stacked with the likes of Sean Plunket or Cameron Slater, churning out columns that normalise bigotry under the guise of “free speech.” The Herald would turn into another sewer similar to the now defunct NZ Truth.
Our media landscape is already under strain, with job cuts and declining trust eroding the Fourth Estate’s ability to hold power to account. Allowing Don bloody Brash, a figure whose career thrives on racial division, who undertook secret deals with the Exclusive Brethren to distribute dishonest attack pamphlets against the NZ Greens, to wield influence over NZME, risks further fracturing our political landscape and already delicate social cohesion. Māori, who face disproportionate vilification in public discourse, would bear the brunt of a Brash-driven editorial shift. His vision of “one law for all” is code for erasing indigenous rights, and giving him a platform to push his racist nonsense in mainstream media would be a betrayal of journalistic integrity that is already waning at the NZ Herald.
The E tū Journalists Union has sounded the alarm, demanding Grenon commit to editorial independence. NZME’s board must heed this call and block this takeover. Brash’s racism should have no place within our mainstream media. We need a press that challenges power, not one that panders to the prejudices of a bitter old man who has had his day. Let’s send Brash the bigot back to the fringes where he belongs.
