In the October 7 edition of The Weekend Sun I noticed a large advertisement by a group that call themselves Hobson's Pledge, who seek to have NZ defined into one group of people.

These people are advertising for our society to remove the rights of Maori, with the ignorant assumption this group of people don't want, need or deserve these rights.

I'm assuming the Hobson's Pledge supporters think Maori are in a ‘priviledged position' because of these rights despite the myriad of statistics proving otherwise.

I'd like to ask - since when is it okay to place an ad in a community newspaper advertising such a thing? Since when, do we as a society, accept it is okay to campaign for the removal of rights for an entire race of people?

This ad blantantly asks for financial donations to help them spread their message – and let's be clear, when you are campaigning to remove the rights of a race of people, its hate speech.

This ad may have slipped through the cracks of the advertising standards under the guise of 'freedom of opinion” but nonetheless, this sort of perspective is hate speech to its nasty, bitter core.

Consider for a moment another group advertising to remove the rights of another large group – for example, Muslims campaigning for the removal of the rights of Christians, women campaigning for the removal of rights of men, Maori campaigning for the removal of rights for Indians.

If you take the time to apply the concept to any other group its easily seen as not just racist or prejudice but idiotic and appalling. This country is not defined by one race, group, sex or culture. It's a melting pot of everything and it works and we are internationally known as a peaceful, safe country.

Indeed, I happen to know a man from Israel in business with a man from Iran. Have a guess how often that happens globally?

The Treaty of Waitangi wasn't created to irritate white people. It was created to protect and preserve a unique culture, a way of life and human rights and like all human endeavours it has had its flaws and failures but it is a work in progress.

Rights are something we all enjoy but it appears we are developing into a society that thinks it's okay to not apply them equally to all - and Don Brash and his team of financially well-off, privileged, middle-aged, white people are the epitome of this horrible behaviour.

When we, as a society accept this sort of campaign, or accept other hate speech - such as anti-muslim rhetoric - we begin to go down a path, one we have been down before and one that ended in genocide. I, for one learnt from the mistakes of the past and you won't catch me waving the flag of ignorant hatred. You might however, find me demanding the privileged start paying their fair share of taxes though.

K Moselen, Tauranga City.