Maori Authority calls for man at center of racism storm to be removed from the liquor industry
The Chairman of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has pushed back against the apology of comments by a brewery telling his followers that Maori were a “scourge”.
He has also warned the brewery company that there own handling of the response should see them hauled before the Human Rights Commission and see any operating certificates or licenses they have to run a liquor business or brewery cancelled. The comments by co-owner of the brewery, David Gauhgan, were made on Facebook and has caused an eruption of criticism on social media.
Tukaki has, however gone further and called for every stockist of the product to withdraw it from stock stating that “if this man and this company are going to truly learn it appears from me the only way that will happen is through the hip pocket”
“I and many others are sick and tired of not just the comments that people like this man have made but also that when they do apologise they only do so when they appear to have been caught out. This man, from all accounts, has a history of these sorts of derogatory remarks but to then apologise saying he himself has underlying issues that need to be deal with then that says to me he is unstable and that in itself says he is unfit to hold any sort of role in a company and in particular a liquor company.” Tukaki
“That is why if any licenses or otherwise are held by this company to produce alcohol then its time those licenses were cancelled. If this man has a problem with alcohol and that alcohol is feeding his hate of Maori, of people of colour than he should be nowhere near booze let alone be allowed to be involved in a company that sells it.” Tukaki said
“The other things I would say very clearly is this – if people like this man and like this company think for one moment Maori or anyone else is going to just sit back and let this happen, to let these words filled with hate and racism permeate our society then they have another thing coming.” Tukaki said