Portage Licensing Trust chief hopes ex-Ray White agent Paul Davie will resign on Monday

The head of a powerful Auckland licensing trust hopes ex-Ray White real estate agent Paul Davie will stand down on Monday, after racist social media posts.

Ross Clow, Portage Licensing Trust president, was today commenting on an elected member who he hopes will go soon.

Davie was on Wednesday let go from Ray White after he and his wife Kathryn Davie made posts on social media which disparaged Africans, Muslims, multiculturalism and Māori culture.

"We are hoping he will come to his senses and for the good of the community, will stand down," Clow said today.

Davie could not be reached for comment.

Clow said Davie's views were unwelcome at the trust, a significant community entity which had a turnover of $110m, employed around 400 staff and covered around 25 per cent of Auckland.

"I personally find the views abhorrent and they have no place here. We at the trust have received questions about his views. Under law, neither I nor other elected members have the power to remove anyone," he said, citing legislation which governed how the trust was run.

But trust elected members will meet on Monday evening and Clow said he hoped Davie might resign either before or at that monthly meeting.

Clow said he knew Davie held "intolerant views" but he was unaware they were as extreme as they have been revealed to be.

It was only yesterday, Clow said, that he became aware of the comments made on social media. The views did not reflect the licensing trust's views or those of the other elected members, he said.

Nick Smale, West Auckland Licensing Trust Action Group, also called for Davie to go: "We don't think Mr Davie is the right person to represent a diverse community and that it would be most appropriate if he resigned from the Portage Licensing Trust immediately.
If Mr Davie chooses not to resign, we encourage the other elected members to call for his resignation at their meeting this coming Monday. Election of people who hold fringe views like Mr Davie is more likely when elections generate minimal public interest and turnouts are low. We hope more West Aucklanders vote at this year's licensing trust elections."

Davie has stood for the Conservative Party, and he and his wife worked for Ray White in Auckland's Blockhouse Bay.

After complaints about their recent social media posts that disparage Africans, Muslims, multiculturalism and Māori culture, Ray White terminated their contracts on Wednesday night.

"We can confirm that late yesterday, we withdrew our support from Paul and Kathryn Davie and they are no longer associated with our group," Ray White New Zealand chief executive Carey Smith said in a statement.

Ross Clow, trust president. Photo/Portage Licensing Trust

"Ray White is family-owned company, with an international network made up of many thousands of people from a very wide variety of nationalities, backgrounds and faiths.

"While we are very accepting of different belief systems, we promote tolerance and respect towards others above all else. Any member whose values are not aligned with ours is inherently not a match for our group."

One post shows that Paul Davie had linked to an article about Africans and said: "This is politically unpalatable but it is supported by science."

In another post, linking to a video, he said: "How can anyone after viewing this possibly think Islam and Sharia does not and will not present a threat to any non-Muslim nation."

"Multiculturalism is and always was a doomed dogma" he wrote in another post in October 2018.

Kathryn Davie, in May 2018, wrote "Civil war is coming" and linked to an article about support for te reo policy in Wellington.

In another post, she linked to a video from under-fire Australian Senator Fraser Anning and the need to stop Muslim immigration immediately with the words: "Too right."

In the event that Davie does not resign, West Auckland Licensing Trust Action Group (WALTAG) spokesman Nick Smale said they will encourage other elected members to call for his resignation.

"We don't think Mr Davie is the right person to represent a diverse community and that it would be most appropriate if he resigned from the Portage Licensing Trust immediately," Smale said.

Smale also called on West Aucklanders to participate in elections to avoid such circumstances in the future.

"Election of people who hold fringe views like Mr Davie is more likely when elections generate minimal public interest and turnouts are low. We hope more West Aucklanders vote at this year's licensing trust elections," Smale said.