Pubs, liquor shops boycott Eagle Brewing over racist Māori Facebook comments
14 May, 2021 01:06 AM
3 minutes to read
Calls have been made to boycott Eagle Brewing after racist comments made by its founder and head brewer.
Calls have been made to boycott Eagle Brewing after racist comments made by its founder and head brewer.
Bars and bottle shops around New Zealand are boycotting a local brewery because of racist comments about Māori made online by its founder and head brewer and a subsequent post by the company saying the comments were misconstrued .
Eagle Brewing founder and head brewer David Gaughan yesterday commented on a news story on Facebook about a shooting in Napier calling Māori the scourge of New Zealand .
In a statement on Friday, Gaughan said his post was “completely unacceptable”. “I want to apologise unreservedly for making the comment, and for the large amount of hurt and anger it has caused, and rightly so. “The comment was made as a result of deep-seated issues I have within myself about growing up with family violence and seeing it affect people I love. This in no way justifies what I said.” “I have come to understand that I need to look at the changes I can make to unlearn and relearn, so I can gain a better cultural understanding in the place that I feel privileged to call my home.”
A Canterbury brewery owner’s racist Facebook rant has sparked outrage and caused several venues and bottle stores to stop selling the brewery's products.
In another post, Marilyn Yosores, co-owner of Eagle Brewing and Gaughan’s partner, said Gaughan “had a few drinks” and was reading an article regarding violence against women when he made the post. “The post was not intended to be an attack on Māori, merely intending to highlight that Māori women featured highly in these statistics,” the post read. The post went on to say that Gaughan had resigned from the business and was remorseful for what he said. It was immediately clear that the damage had already been done, as several businesses stocking Eagle Brewery products have already distanced themselves from the business.