Tobacco giant apologises to Maori 

A dreadlocked Maori has won an apology from one of the world's corporate giants.
 
Anti-smoking activist Shane Bradbrook went to New Jersey for the annual general meeting of the Altria Group to complain about its production of Maori Mix cigarettes.
 
The parent company of Philip Morris, America's biggest tobacco producer, was contrite, admitting it had made a mistake.

"Hearing an apology from a CEO of Altria Group, Philip Morris, is very unusual," says Bradbrook.

"Talking to people here about that you very rarely get them publicly saying I'm sorry. We didn't mean to do that to your culture. We didn't mean to do that at all," he says.

Louis Camilleri heads Altria Group, which also makes Marlboro cigarettes. He told Bradbrook the Maori Mix cigarettes had been a mistake.

"We sincerely regret any discomfort that was caused to the Maori people by our mistake and we won't be repeating it again," says Altria Group public relations manager Tara Carraro.

An admission that struck a chord with stockholders.

"They've made me some money...I'm a stockholder in the company, but by the same token, what they did was wrong," Dana Mitchell says.

Beefed up security at the shareholders meeting included the local police but the dreadlocked Bradbrook got in using proxy shares and a good suit.

One News was not allowed to film inside the meeting, but was told when Bradbrook started with a Maori greeting, every eye was on him. He told Camilleri: "I hold you in contempt and derision".

"He's the head of that organisation...he's one of the biggest industries in the world," says Bradbrook.

"He is the CEO...he agrees with things..he's the one who as they say over here, the buck stops here, and he's the man."

But on Friday Bradbrook who was the man who forced an apology from a corporate giant.