A man wearing a crudely assembled white hooded robe with KKK emblazoned across the front of it has entered the lobby of Gallagher Group's Hamilton office this morning.
The robed individual was Waikato-Tainui kaumatua Taitimu Maipi, who described his infiltration of the Hamilton office as a protest against Gallagher Group head Sir William Gallagher's speech to Waikato business people on Friday declaring the Treaty of Waitangi a farce.
"Sir Gallagher sort to referred to racist statements which is very similar to the KKK over in America," Mr Maipi said outside the Gallagher Group's Hamilton office.
The Waikato-Tainui kaumatua entered Gallagher Group's Hamilton office dressed in KKK robe today. (Source: Other)
"I thought the days of this kind of racist comment is over.
"This is 2017, so I was very disappointed that Sir William Gallagher decided to make these racist comments, and I just wanted to highlight it by wearing the KKK outfit, because that's what he sounded like."
Once Mr Maipi entered the lobby of Gallagher's Kahikatea Dr, Hamilton office, he asked to speak with Sir William - who is the son of Gallagher Group's founder.
Staff locked the door to the lobby and Mr Maipi could be seen sitting on the ground and speaking energetically with Gallagher Group staff.
Mr Maipi eventually left the lobby without any further incident.
Mr Maipi was representing Maori activist group Ngā Tamatoa, who have been protesting abuses of the Treaty of Waitangi since the 1970's, and had been involved in the Bastion Point, Raglan Golf Course and Springbok Tour protests.
He said he believed Sir William's comments were "very much" out of date.
"When the settlement was done here in Tainui the Queen apologised," Mr Maipi said.
"This guy continues to raise the unnecessary issues that for 2017, it's unbelievable that someone of his status would make a comment like that."
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