Hobson’s Pledge – Lobby Group Opposing Māori “Special Treatment”

Hobson’s Pledge is a New Zealand lobbying group formed in September 2016 to oppose what it sees as race-based preferential policies for Māori. It is led by former National Party and ACT leader Dr. Don Brash, and its name references Governor William Hobson’s purported pledge “he iwi tahi tātou” (“we are one people”) at the 1840 Treaty signing. Hobson’s Pledge campaigns against affirmative action, the Māori electoral seats in Parliament, the Waitangi Tribunal, and any notion of Treaty “partnership” in government. The group’s ideology is right-wing populist and staunchly assimilationist, insisting all New Zealanders should be treated the same, and that acknowledging indigenous rights is divisive. Casey Costello, a former police officer of Ngāpuhi descent, has been a prominent spokesperson for Hobson’s Pledge. (Notably, in 2023 Costello was elected as a New Zealand First MP and appointed a Minister outside Cabinet, indicating Hobson’s Pledge’s influence has extended into the current government.) Hobson’s Pledge runs petition drives and letter-writing campaigns – for example, it has lobbied against Māori wards in local councils and against including Treaty principles in legislation. It often buys newspaper ads to promote its “One Law for All” message (some ads have been ruled misleading). The connection to Inflection Point NZ is primarily via shared networks and tactics: both appeal to populist sentiments (Hobson’s Pledge on racial preferences, IPNZ on gender issues) and there is overlapping support from socially conservative and anti-“woke” segments. Hobson’s Pledge has collaborated informally with other right-leaning groups – for instance, sharing an audience with NZ Taxpayers’ Union supporters and often amplifying each other’s campaigns. While not directly involved in IPNZ’s anti-trans efforts, Hobson’s Pledge figures (like Casey Costello) have appeared on platforms with IPNZ allies (the Mana Wāhine Kōrero Substack discussed Costello’s views on women’s rights). With one of its own now in Parliament, Hobson’s Pledge represents an increasingly mainstreamed strain of advocacy that is adjacent to Inflection Point’s culture-war focus.