The woman who started a petition calling for Sir Bob Jones to be stripped of his knighthood after a column he wrote for the NBR on Waitangi Day is seeking legal help after Sir Bob threatened to sue her.
More than 47,000 people have now signed Renae Maihi's Change.org petition, which said "Bob Jones no longer deserves to carry the title of 'Sir'".
The petition began: "On Waitangi Day 2018 the NBR published a vile racist rant by "Sir" Bob Jones on their website ... this pitiful and severely uneducated attack is not to be tolerated in New Zealand, Aotearoa: a country founded on a partnership between 2 peoples."
Sir Bob's column, which was removed by the NBR after readers complained it was offensive, contained passages seemingly derogatory to Maori, but that Sir Bob has since said was a "piss take".
"While on the subject of Maoridom, rather than make kids learn the language, here's a much better idea. We should introduce a new public holiday, Maori Gratitude Day, in place of a much disdained Waitangi Day," Sir Bob wrote in the column.
The column continued: "As there are no full-blooded Maori's in existence it indisputably follows that had it not of been for migrants, mainly Brits, not a single Maori today, including Professor Temaru, would have existed. So excluding individuals who might be miserably suicidal, and instead like 99.999% of us actually like being alive, its long overdue for some appreciation.
"I have in mind a public holiday where Maoris bring us breakfast in bed or weed our gardens, wash & polish our cars & so on, out of gratitude for existing. And if any Maori tries arguing that if he/she didn't have a slight infection of Irish blood or whatever, they might be better for it, the answer is no sunshine."
Sir Bob has now threatened to sue Ms Maihi for "about $20,000" due to her starting the petition.
"You have to be sick to not see (what he wrote) was a p*sstake," Sir Bob told 1 NEWS yesterday.
"I won't sue her for a lot because that would seem like I'm bullying her."
Writing on her Facebook page yesterday, Ms Maihi said "any legal advice from a lawyer is welcome".
"I have a right to reflect my belief that this man does not deserve a Knighthood for his comments about our children ... 40,000 people agree," she wrote.
"He knew about this petition from the beginning and called it "infantile" ... now it's something he wishes to sue me over.
"Support welcome, I'll need it - clearly he's one of the wealthiest men in this country and I am not.
"I will always stand up for the mana of our children."
Some people suggested that Ms Maihi set up a givealittle cause in order to help her fund her legal defence, but she said she was only focusing on the outcome of the petition at the moment.
Ms Maihi has said she will "speak later" on the issue and has told 1 NEWS she has not yet been contacted by lawyers representing Sir Bob.
SHARE ME