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Bob Jones outside the high Court in Wellington. Photo: Charlotte Cook / RNZ
Bob Jones outside the high Court in Wellington. Photo: Charlotte Cook / RNZ

ĀteaFebruary 14, 2020

Bob Jones abandons ‘Māori Gratitude Day’ defamation case against Renae Maihi

Bob Jones outside the high Court in Wellington. Photo: Charlotte Cook / RNZ
Bob Jones outside the high Court in Wellington. Photo: Charlotte Cook / RNZ

The high-profile case at the Wellington High Court has come to an early halt after lawyers for Bob Jones, who was suing writer and director Renae Maihi, announced they will no longer continue.

Sir Bob Jones was suing Renae Maihi for defamation after she presented a petition to parliament in 2018 to strip Jones of his knighthood for a column he penned calling for Waitangi Day to be renamed “Māori Gratitude Day“. He said she defamed him by characterising him as a racist, and the column as hate speech. The petition has now been signed by more than 90,000 people.

Jones wasn’t seeking damages, but for the court to rule that Maihi defamed him and award his legal costs. However, after cross-examination of Jones and four of Jones’s witnesses by Maihi’s lawyer Davey Salmon, and a statement given by Maihi on Thursday afternoon, the case has been dropped. The defence had not yet begun calling its own witnesses.

Over the course of three days, Salmon cited TV appearances by Jones and numerous examples of his writing from newspapers and books to establish that Jones’s opinions on race relations, specifically his opinions on Māori, have been deemed offensive by many New Zealanders over five decades.

During cross-examination on Wednesday, Jones described the haka as “infantile”, called Māori oratory traditions “bullshit” and described Māori arts as “unaccomplished” and consisting “entirely of wood carving”. He also claimed te reo Māori had been saved from extinction only because it was recorded in writing by early settlers.

Renae Maihi thanks supporters after giving her statement in the Wellington High Court on Thursday. (Photo: supplied)

Jones promptly left the court after his cross-examination on Wednesday, and didn’t stay to hear evidence from his own witness, NZ First chief of staff Jon Johansson. He did not return to court on Thursday, day four of the trial, to hear evidence from three more of his witnesses, former human rights commissioner Dame Margaret Clarke, author Alan Duff and personal trainer Ryan Wall.

He also wasn’t present when Maihi gave her statement on Thursday afternoon.

A large group of whānau and supporters were there to hear Maihi’s statement, with many crowding outside the courtroom, where the gallery was full. One supporter described her as “brave and dignified” and said her words were “very moving”. He noted that tears were shed by some in the public gallery. When she finished she was met with applause and karanga.

Maihi wasn’t cross-examined by Jones’s lawyers. Instead the court adjourned early. The announcement that the trial wouldn’t continue was made on Friday morning.

A statement by Jones sent to media at midday on Friday stated:

“I filed these proceedings because I was deeply offended by Ms Maihi’s allegations. I am not a racist.

“I now accept, however, Ms Maihi’s offence taking was a sincerely held opinion. The parties may never align on what is acceptable humour, however, no malice was intended by either, thus it is sensible to put an end to proceedings.”

In a later media statement from Maihi, she said:

“This has always been about highlighting the harm and impact that racist language has, both now and historically. It is important for us all to remember that language and articles of this nature, whether intentional or not, can and do cause hurt.

“It is important too that those on the receiving end of racism have an opportunity to express their feelings.

“While I and many others disagree strongly with the language Sir Robert has used about Māori, we can disagree with him without being rude about him as a person. I ask people to keep this in mind when posting on social media.”

This story was updated to include media statements from both parties at 6pm 14 February.

Related:

Leonie Hayden: Bob Jones is not just a racist. He’s also a coward

 

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Taika Tino Rangatiratanga

OPINIONĀteaFebruary 13, 2020

What Taika’s Oscar means to me – and all indigenous filmmakers

Taika Tino Rangatiratanga

Director Heperi Mita celebrates the success of his friend Taika Waititi, and explains what it means for Māori and indigenous creatives around the world. 

There was a moment during the 2020 Academy awards where I saw Taika Waititi, Chelsea Winstanley and Ra Vincent, and realised that in just one generation Māori filmmakers had gone from union picket lines and land marches to the red carpet of the Oscars.

The gap between the current crop of Oscar nominees and the pioneers of Māori filmmaking is a small one – my mum, Merata Mita, was one of those pioneers, and in the case of Chelsea and Taika, she was also a mentor. So for me there was this sense of filmmaking whakapapa. 


Read more:

A son celebrates his mother in Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen


And although the history for Māori in the film industry is a short one, Taika saying the phrase “Mauri Ora” on that stage harkened back to the very origins of Māori storytelling when Tānemahuta breathed life into Hineahuone, the first woman, and exclaimed “tihei mauri ora!”

This was not part of Taika’s acceptance speech, but part of perhaps an even more significant moment for the ceremony. This year’s awards was the first time the Academy has ever acknowledged the land of the Tongva, Tataviam, and the Chumash, the tribes whose ancestral lands lie beneath the concrete freeways and skyscrapers that make up the metropolis of Los Angeles.

The fact that this message came from a Māori, well known for being outspoken on his opinions on race relations in New Zealand, is a throwback to Māori filmmaking pioneers like Barry Barclay, Tama Poata and my mum whose film careers were firmly rooted in their struggles for Māori rights. However, it’s also a sad indictment of the lack of authentic representation for Hollywood’s indigenous people’s – both real and fictional. 

While all this was happening, another Māori filmmaker, Renae Maihi, entered the High Court to defend herself against accusations of defamation by millionaire Bob Jones. And in a strange coincidence, this too was thick with personal historic context for me: Jones appears in my mother’s film PATU! giving the fingers to anti-apartheid protestors on his way to a fundraiser for the Muldoon government in 1981. 

The juxtaposition of two filmmakers, one at the High Court, the other at the Oscars, is a perfect representation of the history of Māori in film. 

Renae’s case embodies the ongoing struggle inherent for Māori within this industry. But while a lawsuit has obvious tangible consequences, what does an Oscars victory really mean anyway?

Taika Waititi, Chelsea Winstanley, the author Heperi Mita and Cliff Curtis at the premiere of Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen in 2018. (Getty Images).

While conflict against authority by Māori in film is well documented, success on the highest of those stages is almost forgotten. Hammond Peek (Kai Tahu, Te Ati Awa) has won two Oscars for sound design for his work on Lord of the Rings and King Kong, even Russell Crowe has whakapapa links to Ngāti Porou, yet these achievements seem relatively unlauded by Aotearoa at large.   

The relevance of both the ceremony of the Oscars and the awards have been questioned in recent years with criticism of selections, and failing ratings. Prior to the ceremony Bong Joon Ho himself was dismissive, describing the Academy Awards as, “a little strange but not a big deal. The Oscars are not an international film festival. They’re very local.” 

However, the collective sense of pride that was felt by indigenous people around the world when Taika Waititi took the stage is proof that although the Oscars’ relevance may be waning in recent times they remain an achievement that symbolises the pinnacle of excellence in filmmaking and therefore inspire.

These symbols remain important not only for their inspiration, but the platform to boost awareness of indigenous stories at a global level. It wasn’t just Māori interests that were promoted that day, but indigenous artists and storytellers at large.

In this way the short whakapapa of Māori in film will continue to grow and expand into a generation of storytellers who will achieve even more than this one. 

But wait there's more!