A defamation lawsuit brought by one of New Zealand's richest men, Sir Bob Jones, against a filmmaker has opened at the High Court in Wellington.
The property tycoon accuses Renae Maihi of defaming him by calling him a racist and starting an online petition to strip him of knighthood.
Ms Maihi began the petition in February 2018 in response to a column Sir Bob had written suggesting Waitangi Day should be replaced by "Māori Gratitude Day".
Sir Bob's lawyer says the column was clearly tongue and cheek.
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