Act backer Crimp: 'I'll get a gun'

Louis Crimp. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Businessman and big ACT donor Louis Crimp, whose anti-Maori tirade last week sparked widespread condemnation, says he will get a gun and shoot anyone who tries to do "nasty things" to him.

Following on from his extraordinary outburst in the Weekend Herald in which he said he donated more than $100,000 to the Act Party during last year's election because he thought the party would stop special treatment for Maori, Mr Crimp gave an equally bizarre interview on Campbell Live tonight.

Referring to early Maori as a few "savages" and calling Te Reo a "cranky scheme" sucking up taxpayers' money, Mr Crimp said tonight he had received death threats since his opinions about Maori were published at the weekend.

"According to Twit and Tweeter (sic) and Facebook and all of those things, I've had death threats, you know, and the most foul language.

"I think when I get back to Invercargill I'll see the police and get a gun so if anyone tries to do nasty things to me I'll shoot them, in self-defence of course."

Mr Crimp said Maori were "not real New Zealanders" and referred to them as "savages".

"The only thing in Maori culture worthwhile and proud of is doing the haka, the war dance, take all their clothes off and paint themselves and pull faces to the public, to everybody that's watching," he said.

"Fifty-two per cent of the people in jail are Maori and they're only 15 per cent of the population."

Mr Crimp said Act wouldn't get any more donations from him unless the party supported him, firstly by scrapping funding for the Maori language.

"If they want a special language that nobody understands anywhere out of New Zealand they should pay for it themselves with all the billions of dollars they've got out of us tax payers, they can pay for a cranky scheme like this with their own money."

Apparently unaware he was still being filmed, Mr Crimp then asked 3 News reporter Jane Luscombe whether she'd ever had sex against a tree.

"We're not on tape, are we?" he asked.

In comments to the Weekend Herald, Mr Crimp criticised Maori culture, stating: "All the white New Zealanders I've spoken to don't like Maoris, the way they are full of crime and welfare.''

Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres said yesterday that firmer action should be taken by Act's sole MP John Banks to condemn Mr Crimp's comments.

"There is a difference between affirming freedom of expression and taking money from people who express ... repugnant views.

"It behoves the party to do a little more than just say ... `we support freedom of expression so we'll take money from anybody'.''

He said Mr Crimp's comments were absolutely appalling and were not at all representative of New Zealanders as suggested by the Invercargill businessman.

"We're all looking around for the so-called New Zealanders he's talking about.''

He had already received one complaint about Mr Crimp's comments, alleging they breached the Human Rights Act.

Tonight Mr Crimp commented on what a "strange name'' Mr de Bres had.

"Where does he come from?'' He asked Campbell Live.

Mr Banks could not be contacted this evening but yesterday a spokeswoman said the Act leader had never met Mr Crimp and "spoke to him briefly on the phone for the first time last week''.

She said Mr Banks did not share the same views as Mr Crimp.