Act Party uses Tui beer brand tagline ‘Yeah right’ to criticise University of Auckland’s Treaty of Waitangi course

• Act Party posted Tui beer ‘Yeah right’-style meme mocking University of Auckland international ranking
• Government coalition partner has criticised university’s plans for compulsory Treaty of Waitangi course
• Tui say they don’t condone Act’s use of their trademarked tagline and have hit back with a meme of their own

A meme war has broken out between Act and Tui after the Government’s Coalition partner pinched the beer brand’s famous “Yeah right” slogan to diss the country’s biggest university.

The political party sparked the tit-for-tat spat yesterday when it posted a photoshopped image of a billboard behind a University of Auckland sign to its social media channels.

The mock billboard had the words: “Compulsory Treaty courses will get Auckland Uni back into the top 150″ next to Tui’s “Yeah right” tagline.

Act – which has criticised a Treaty of Waitangi course the university will make compulsory for first-year students next year – posted the jab two days after the University of Auckland fell out of Times Higher Education’s top 150 universities’ rankings for the first time since 2020. It is now ranked 152nd.

But DB Breweries-owned Tui launched a broadside of their own on Facebook late last night, jabbing the libertarian party with a meme of their own: “Tui, the official beer of Act - Yeah right”.

“Hey @actnewzealand, keep my beers’ name out of your mouth”, Tui posted above the meme, in a nod to the infamous moment actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face for jokes about his wife at the 2022 Oscars.

Tui had its own response to Act using its 'Yeah right' tagline to diss the University of Auckland, posting this meme to its Facebook page. Image via Facebook

As of 4.15pm the meme had more than 330 reactions and 26 comments.

“Marketing team needs a raise”, wrote one fan.

The beer brand had earlier told the Herald Act’s uni-bashing meme using their trademarked tagline was “definitely not part of Tui’s ‘Yeah right’ campaign”.

“We don’t condone the message so stay tuned for a Tui-style response.”

So far, Act has had the final word, firing back a response to Tui’s meme in the comments section.

“Week 1 of your brave new reboot, and we already found a truth you’re afraid to tell”, the party wrote this afternoon.

Tui has begun bringing its “Yeah, right” billboards out of retirement after a decade, with one of the first –referencing Philip Polkinghorne, the retired eye surgeon acquitted of murdering his wife – sparking backlash last week.

“Back to being a respectable meth smoking, sex worker loving doctor then. Yeah right.”

A Tui beer billboard referencing Phillip Polkinghorne, the retired eye surgeon acquitted of murdering his wife, has been slammed as being in bad taste and disrespectful.

The university course that sparked Act’s initial meme is Waipapa Taumata Rau, which teaches knowledge of Te Tiriti, New Zealand history and skills such as methods of thinking.

After a pilot this year, it will be compulsory for all first-year students – including international students – next year.

The university couldn’t be contacted for comment today, but its pro vice-chancellor Māori Te Kawehau Hoskins earlier told RNZ students would benefit from the various units, which include critical thinking, academic writing and working in groups.

But Act has previously called the course “indoctrination” that could damage the university’s reputation.

The Act Party posted this photoshopped Tui beer 'Yeah right'-style billboard mocking the University of Auckland on Friday. Photo via Facebook

The party hadn’t heard directly from the university or DB Breweries over the meme, a party spokesman said today.

The internet creation followed the party’s tertiary education spokeswoman Parmjeet Parmar saying this week universities risked losing their academic focus and relevance to international students with an increased focus on Treaty issues and Mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge).

The “growing obsession” with Te Tiriti and indigenous knowledge was deeply concerning, Parmar said.

“[It] will only see universities become more inward-looking, less internationally relevant and less attractive to international students.”

The meme had “quite a large impact” on Act’s social media channels compared to other posts on their pages, especially as there were a lot of people who didn’t know about the university’s move, the party’s spokesman said.

“It’s fair to say it’s touched a nerve.”

The meme had already been reacted to more than 1400 times on Facebook and received more than 460 comments.

Feedback was mixed, with many posters supportive of its message, but others dismayed at angst over the compulsory course.

She was “sick of being blamed for stuff that happened way before my granny was born, and being told I’m privileged”, one woman wrote.

“I’d rather learn what I want, and forcing someone into something is not the way to get them to want to do it.”

Another poster described the university’s move as “nothing but socialist indoctrination”.

“All the right people are offended by this.”

But others supported the university’s stance, including one writing of those against the course: “You build your university on my land, but don’t want my history taught.”

Another woman wrote that the course would contribute to a “healthy, civil society” and “finally” help Kiwis understand “some of their story and history as a partner in this land”.

“An honest look and understanding of our past builds a more affluent whole person. True manaakitanga (showing respect, generosity and care) is about equality, giving mana to others, seeing one another as equals.

“Go AK Uni (sic), you understand true deep education.”

Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.

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