Singer Chris Brown has taken to Twitter in a bid to rally support for a planned tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Tickets went on sale for the 26-year-old's Auckland concert on Monday, but New Zealand law states anyone who has a previous conviction is ineligible to enter the country unless they are granted a special exemption.
Brown was convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009 and was sentenced to five years' probation, 180 days of community labour and ordered to take part in a year-long domestic violence programme.
His chequered past is now catching up with him with New Zealand and Australian authorities saying they might not issue the visas needed for Brown to enter and perform down under.
Today, Brown made a plea on Twitter, however, saying he would be "more than grateful" to be let into Australia.
Australian immigration officials have already given Brown a notice of intent to refuse him a visa, meaning he has 28 days to prove why he should be let in, while billboards advertising his Melbourne show had been defaced, with the words "I beat women" written on them.
Politicians in New Zealand have weighed in on the issue too, with National MP Judith Collins saying "we have enough wife beaters in this country and we don't need any more".
The Maori King's son, however, has offered an olive branch to the controversial singer, reportedly inviting him to Wāhi Pā in Huntly, with Tainui spokesperson Tukoroirangi Morgan telling Maori Television, "We will put on a major pōwhiri befitting of an international star."
Mr Morgan said they wanted to give Brown a chance to spread the message that domestic violence isn't acceptable.
Former Maori leader Dame Tariana Turia has also come out in support of Brown, saying she believes he has learnt from his mistakes and that people are more likely to listen to the singer than to politicians.
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