Hobson's Pledge
Hobson's Pledge is a lobby group in New Zealand that was formed in late September 2016 to oppose affirmative action for Māori people. It is led by conservative politician Don Brash. The group aims to redefine the position of Māori in New Zealand. This would include removing the Māori electorates, abolishing the Waitangi Tribunal, restricting tribal powers and "remove all references in law and in Government policy to Treaty 'partnership' and 'principles.
Goals and positions
Hobson's Pledge is named after William Hobson, the first governor of New Zealand and co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi. Hobson's quote on the day of the first signing of the Treaty, "he iwi tahi tātou", has been used by the group to market their beliefs, with the common translation of the phrase: "we are now one people".The group is led by former National Party and ACT leader Don Brash, who delivered the controversial Orewa Speech in 2004 on race relations in New Zealand. Other key members include Casey Costello who is a Māori of Ngāpuhi heritage. Hobson's Pledge advocates abolishing the reserved Māori seats in the New Zealand Parliament and the Waitangi Tribunal, eliminating race-based affirmative action, and cites the Treaty of Waitangi as evidence that Māori chiefs ceded sovereignty in 1840.
History and activities
Opposition to Māori wards
In early 2018, Hobson's Pledge supported citizens-initiated local body referendums opposing the establishment of Māori wards and constituencies in Palmerston North, Western Bay of Plenty, Whakatāne, Manawatū, and Kaikōura. Local councils in those districts had voted to establish Māori wards. At that time, the Local Electoral Act 2001 allowed referendums to be held on Māori wards or constituencies if requested by a petition signed by 5% of the electors of a city, district, or council.Subsequently, Māori wards were rejected in local referendums held in Palmerston North, Western Bay of Plenty, Whakatāne, Manawatū, and Kaikōura on 19 May 2018. The turnout was about 40%. The results were welcomed by some including Hobson's Pledge leader Don Brash and conservative broadcaster Mike Hosking. However, others including Whakatāne mayor Tony Bonne, Labour MPs Willie Jackson and Tāmati Coffey, as well as former Māori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell were dismayed.
In 2020, nine other councils proposed Māori wards. Hobson's Pledge supported citizens in Tauranga, Whangārei, Kaipara, Northland, Gisborne, Taupō, Ruapehu, New Plymouth and South Taranaki who organised campaigns to collect signatures. Three days after the Tauranga campaign announced sufficient signatures had been collected to trigger a vote, Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced that the Local Electoral Act 2001 would be amended to outlaw citizen-referendums on Māori wards. That rendered all petitions null and void. More than 25,000 signatures had been collected. Five areas had petitions validated. In late February 2021, Mahuta's Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2021, eliminating mechanism for holding referendums on Māori wards and constituencies on local councils, passed into law.
In July 2024, the Sixth National Government passed legislation reinstating the requirement for local referendums on the establishment or "ongoing use" of Māori wards and constituencies. While National, ACT and NZ First supported the bill, it was opposed by the Labour, Green, and Māori parties. Councils that have already established a Māori ward without a referendum are now required to hold a binding poll alongside the 2025 local elections or to disestablish them.
In August 2025, Hobson's Pledge released a series of advertisements featuring a stock photo of a Māori woman with a moko kauae and the message "My mana doesn't need a mandate – Vote no to Māori wards". The individual woman pictured did not consent to her image being used and was distraught that her image was being used to promote a view she was "staunchly" opposed to. The photo was released on iStock and Shutterstock and labelled "editorial use only"; Hobson's Pledge said that they had followed all legal requirements for their use of the photo. The group took down the billboards and apologised to the affected woman.
In late September 2025, media company Stuff removed a Hobson's Pledge advertisement opposing Māori wards from its websites after receiving feedback on 20 September that the ad was linking to an external website that did not meet the company's terms and conditions. Meanwhile, media company New Zealand Media and Entertainment maintained the same advertisement on its websites, stating that it met their criteria for advocacy advertising. In response, Brash accused Stuff of cowering to bullying and intimidation while praising NZ for upholding lawful advocacy in a "free press."
Opposition to co-governance
Since 2021, Hobson's Pledge has campaigned against proposed co-governance measures and the He Puapua report, calling the proposals " plan to divide New Zealand governance along racial lines".In August 2023, Radio New Zealand reported that Hobson's Pledge had launched a website and Facebook account called "We Belong Aotearoa." The website was aimed at ethnic immigrant communities and used Māori language terms such as "whiria te tāngata". According to RNZ, the website and Facebook account was run by the Campaign Company, which is listed as the registrant of other internet domain names associated with Hobson's Pledge including isthisracist.nz, bottomline.nz and equalhealth.nz. RNZ also reported that Hobson's Pledge's hobsonspledge.nz domain name was registered by the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union. The Union's co-founder Jordan Williams also served as the director of the Campaign Company. In response, Brash defended the "We Belong Aotearoa" website and said that it helped raise awareness about co-governance. Brash also said that using the term Aotearoa, despite Hobson's Pledge's opposition to the term, allowed "We Belong Aotearoa" to reach a wider audience.