Dave Letele aka Brown Buttabean is unconvinced by the apology given by brewer David Gaughan for racist comments on social media.
"I prefer we don't talk about him, and it's just giving this guy a platform as I saw on a post earlier his sales have gone through the roof. You know it really shows the undercurrent of racism that's out there towards our people."
Gaughan, the chief executive of Eagle Brewing NZ, has been lambasted following racist comments toward Māori on Eagle Brewing's Facebook page, claiming about Māori wifebeaters "the quicker we put them in prison the better, a comment from which he quickly backtracked.
But Brown Butterbean condemns the apology, saying Gaughin isn't taking responsibility for his actions.
To further complicate the situation, Gaughan contacted the "She Is Not Your Rehab" anti-violence movement to engage with him.
"Look, I'm not having a go at the team at She is not your rehab, which is doing great work. But now's not the time to come to this guy's rescue and let's all cry together on each other's shoulder."
The "She is not your rehab" campaign was started as a way for men to talk to one another about family violence.
'Don't do a PR stunt'
Founder Matt Brown says the kaupapa stems from his upbringing, his childhood of witnessing his beloved mother be a rehab centre for his father.
Brown's wife Sarah says this was an opportunity to talk to Gaughan about some of his misunderstandings about family violence, and the racial undertones of his comments.
"He is just one of many men who think this, that's the reality and we've witnessed it in our own mahi and our own lives and our own whānau. So the reality of it is there in our society. A couple of years ago just around the corner from our barbershop, the mosque was attacked, so racist beliefs and attitudes exist in our society."
The race debate has been front and centre in New Zealand recently, with the debate being hotly contested in Parliament, and National's Judith Collins hasn't received the expected boost in the polls she had been counting on. A new Newshub/Reid Research poll found she had plummeted down the preferred prime minister rankings, scraping in at just 5.6% compared to Labour's Jacinda Ardern's 48.1%.
Collins, who dropped by a significant 12.8 point margin, was ranked even below former Prime Minister Sir John Key, who amassed 6.7% despite no longer working as a politician. Newbie National MP Christoper Luxon was at 2.4%.
Letele has challenged Gaughan to be proactive in his search for forgiveness.
"Let's make him understand his mistakes and the repercussions of his mistakes, and then he has to earn it. Don't do this for a PR stunt. Do this because you believe in it."
Te Ao Māori News approached David Gaughan for comment but have had no response so far.