Isn’t detest a most unpleasant word. Even its synonyms are offensive – abhor, despise, loathe and abominate. Only two objects generate that degree of disgust in my life. Both broadcast on Newstalk ZB – one at prime-time in the morning, Mike Hosking and the other in the equally popular evening slot, Heather Du Plessis-Allan.

They are New Zealand’s answer to the American politicians, Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. This is what Wikipedia says about Greene.

Greene has promoted far-right, white supremacist, and antisemitic conspiracy theories including the white genocide conspiracy theory, as well as other disproven conspiracies such as false flag mass shootings, the Clinton body count, and multiple relating to 9/11. Before running for Congress, she advocated for executing prominent Democratic politicians. As a Congresswoman, she equated the Democratic Party with Nazis. 

I wonder whether any of that applies to the daily rants of Hosking and Du Plessis-Allan? We know the Broadcasting Standards Authority has already hauled Du Plessis-Allan over the coals for racist comments made about the Pacific Islands.  And so there maybe evidence to support the idea of “far right and white”.

Hosking too has been hauled up before the Authority on fourteen occasions since 2020. Once every two months someone has gone to the effort to file a complaint. In almost every case the Authority found Hosking’s outbursts were likely to cause offence but not beyond the limit of free speech. In September 2020 the Authority did rule that, “comments made by Mike Hosking were misleading in breach of the accuracy standard.” And so here too there is a question – is Hosking’s relationship with the truth as suspect as it seems?

I have used the word “rant” to describe what Hosking and Du Plessis-Allan indulge in every day. However, the word rant is woefully inadequate. I just can’t think of anything better to describe their constant, over and over again tirade of right-wing bluster. It is a world away from informative journalism.

For example, last night, the South African import was going on and on and on about what a good idea it would be to do away with the Queen as New Zealand’s Head of State. Clearly, she has no idea, or couldn’t care less, that New Zealand’s founding document was signed by 500 or so Māori chiefs as one party to the deal and the Queen (Queen Victoria) as the other party. The Treaty of Waitangi was not signed by a New Zealand Government. It was not even signed by the British Government. It was signed by the Crown, the Queen of Great Britain and about to become, the Queen of New Zealand.

Or is Du Plessis-Allan’s motive to do away with one party to the Treaty and achieve the ultimate pakeha rip-off – no Crown, no second party to the Treaty, no Treaty, no more reparations, no more protection and no more compensation. That sleight of hand would far exceed any land or cultural atrocity from the 1830s. Mind you, Du Plessis-Allan comes from South Africa. She may have learned how to strip native populations of their rights in a country expert at that skill.       

The Treaty is an important document for New Zealand and especially for its Māori population. And for that reason, especially if I were Māori, I would not have anything to do with damaging its validity. And I’d be telling Du Plessis-Allan to take her muskets and blankets and go away. We have no interest in selling the Treaty at any price.

I see the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, is taking part today in a service to celebrate the Queen’s 70 years as New Zealand’s monarch. Once again Jacinda understands. And that’s a lot more than you can say about Hosking or Du Plessis-Allan. God save the Queen.

PS – It would be wrong to take this post as evidence that the author is a rabid royalist. I’m not. In fact, many of my ancestors came to New Zealand from Scotland. They supported Scottish independence. So do I. I know every word of the Scottish National Anthem sending “proud Edward’s army homeward, to think again.” But New Zealand is different. We are not ruled by Westminster. Scotland is. We are not even ruled by the Queen. But she is a signing party to our founding document and the safeguards it gives to those who were here before us. Both those deserve our protection.