Leaders at the National Business Review (NBR) have apologised for publishing a tweet that said Māori are "too lazy" to work, pay taxes or be good parents.
NBR recently launched a new series of tweets in which subscribers' website comments are published on Twitter to generate conversation.
On Tuesday it tweeted a comment that read: "Māori are lazy. Too lazy to think, too lazy to work, too lazy to be good fathers and husbands to their chaotic children and families. And too lazy to pay any taxes either, but that's another story."
Many were appalled at NBR's decision to recirculate the remark without comment, especially on the eve of Waitangi Day.
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"The NBR are racist morons with less journalistic integrity than the stain on the bottom of my shoe," wrote user @DeaExLena.
"It's gross to treat Māori as click bait for racists," wrote @DawgBelly.
Publisher Todd Scott says he posted the tweet with the intention for it to be "admonished as it rightly should be".
On Twitter he said he took full responsibility for the mistake.
"They say that the fish rots at the head," he wrote in one tweet.
"I was wrong to publish that comment. I am sorry," he said in another.
NBR co-editor Tim Hunter also expressed regret over the tweet, which he said was "clearly offensive" and had been deleted.
Newshub.
