Originally posted April 3, 2007 on move2nz (Registration req'd to access original thread.

I have been making posts in different areas of the forum referring obliquely to the problems we have faced in Christchurch. It appears to have made some people uncomfortable, so I would like to lay out the specifics in this long post rather than leave it at what some may consider an unframed accusation.

This is the 8th country I've lived in, and I have visited around 40 in my 32 years. Yes, discrimination based on every conceivable thing is a universal human failing. But as societies grow in complexity, people learn to act more tolerant than they perhaps feel, and learn to hide their prejudices as societal norms increasingly make taboos of sexism, racism, homophobia etc. Indulging in open expression of bigotry marginalizes individuals in most developed nations, particularly in major economic centers. It rightly marks that person as a bad investment, as it were; the consensus is that someone so incapable of making basic rational evaluation of people's worth is equally incapable of adding greater value to the school, workplace, neighborhood or society.

In the almost 6 months that we've lived in Christchurch, we've found it to be a bigoted place with very little social pushback against bigotry. Before you hit the 'reply' button for a rebuttal, let me repeat: WE have found it to be a bigoted place. If you've found it to be a warm, fuzzy place of smiles and puppies, that's very nice. For you.

Now if you're one of those people who were about to rebut, you're probably thinking, "well, I'm sure it's not Christchurch, it's YOU." You would be half right. Part of it is me. I happen to be Japanese, so Christchurch shows me a very different face than what a Caucasian person might see. Let me tell you what that means in specific terms.

I will walk up to a store counter, smile, and ask in my native American English if I can give them money for their goods or services. The clerk will not smile back. S/he will not make eye contact with me, or ask me how my day is. If my Dutch-German partner is with me, responses to questions I ask will be directed at him. The change is often handed to him, even though I am the one standing at the counter and he is off to the side. In some stores, I—and other Asians, Middle Easterners and Africans if there are any—am kept waiting while Caucasian customers who came before us are served. I would conservatively estimate that this kind of thing happens 6 out of 10 times I patronize businesses here.

I will be out walking, and people in cars will yell the kind of racist epithets I've only previously known in period-piece fiction at me. They yell as they zip by on bicycles. People block my way on sidewalks, snickering.

I've lost my privacy on the streets, even what little we have as women in the States. Don't underestimate the sheer drag of being glared at, frowned at, muttered about or looked up and down until you run the gauntlet yourself. When you were a teenager, was there a store you and your friends hated because the people there assumed all teens were shoplifters? That's what it feels like, except I also wonder if someone's going to run me over or sucker-punch me.



Whenever the issue of anti-Asian behavior comes up, whether it's in forums like this or in Kiwi newspapers, it seems that all I see are excuses for the perpetrators. It's just ignorance, not racism. Kiwis are just outspoken, none of this PC nonsense. It's the Asians' fault for not speaking English. For hanging out with just their own kind. For not 'embracing Kiwi values'.



According to this argument, those 2 bicyclists last month who called me "chop suey" and wondered out loud why I was in their country just had a bad case of ignorance. They weren't racists, you see. You have to go all Missisippi Burning and kill people to be actual racists. The implication is that I should get over the sense of, oh I don't know, mortal danger from 2 irrational and aggressive men who appear to hate me and call me funny names that don't seem so funny coming from their mouths. And true, nobody could fault the carful of guys that kept pace with me along Cashel during the afternoon rush, yelling "Hey Chiiiink! Chink girl!" for being feminist-whipped politically-correct nancyboys. Kudos to all the idling commuters who managed to keep their cool within full earshot of this too. It's odd how the calm that had withstood overhearing someone threatened with what sounded an awful lot like gang rape should crack upon hearing the 'Chink girl' tell the fine young men what they could do to themselves. They looked shocked—shocked!—that I would use such language. I guess I failed that Kiwi values test, huh?

Lest you think all the glory belongs to boys with rides, I'd like to give a shout-out to the middle-aged store owner who stuck his palm within an inch of my face and enunciated "Clooosed. Cloooosed!" after I asked him what time they would open in the morning. Or the ladies at a Postshop whose chatty, laughing day I somehow always manage to ruin just by showing my mug. I'm like Kryptonite! I have other exciting powers too, like inducing nervous giggles in people who presumably can't reconcile my appearance with my native English. My favorite superpower is making children goggle at me fearfully and run away when I smile or wink at them.

You know, I have two nephews and two nieces, Japanese and Caucasian, all under 12. I love being an aunt. I knit them cool sweaters, know all the good stuff online, and am the queen of cakes and strawberry cream. Here, mothers with young children shoot me unfriendly glances and step in between me and their kids at restroom sinks. They must do it out of instinct that I find too hideous to contemplate.

This is my everyday life here, in lovely Christchurch where the NZ government was so eager for a couple of well-educated technologically savvy Americans to settle. I can literally count the number of locals I deal with who act normal towards me on one hand. My partner has taken on a lot of the interfacing because of the unpleasantness, and he worries that I may be in actual danger after hearing Asian-Kiwis casually discuss being assaulted.

After a particularly demoralizing day, I found myself facing a young Asian clerk with accented but fluent English at a burger place. The store wasn't crowded, and on impulse I asked her how long she had been in the country. She had come over from Guangdong 5 years ago. Did she feel that people here were—kind of racist? She scrunched up her face a little and nodded, reluctantly. "People yell things, say things all the time. It happened on my first day in New Zealand and it made me cry. But you get used to it." She looked about 17, but was probably 24. "I don't even notice it anymore."

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Fear not, my next branding campaign will make everything all right.

Some few months ago during a Newstalk ZB discussion on racism in NZ Danny Watson said quite openly that Christchurch was known to be the most racist place in New Zealand, so in my book that makes it the last place I would ever want to live, as where you have one intolerance you will easily find others.



Christchurch is very much a White Anglo Saxon Protestant city, and from my experience one struggling to keep it that way. On a recent visit for a work related conference, total strangers were quite happy to share their thoughts on those arriving in the city from parts other than England/USA which I found un-nerving to say the least. I simply do not understand how a person can be quantified by the colour of their skin!



We had a similar experience sitting in the spa of a Queenstown hotel with two couples from the South Island. When they found out we were from Auckland they turned the conversation quite smoothly to discussing the 'browning' of NZ and said how they hoped 'the problem' could be confined to the North Island!



Frightening stuff! Especially for such a young country where everyone has short immigrant roots.



Come to Auckland, Wintersmith, we may be big and have terrible traffic problems, but we are hugely multi-cultural, and I love it!

I have mentioned this once before on another forum, so if you have read a similar post I apologise.



We are white British and have travelled a lot always having the desire to mix with other cultures. We have broadened our lives in this way and learnt a lot along the way. I remember how shocked some of the older generations were in Britain when different cultures (for example Indian immigrants) began to emerge, but I always wanted to learn and question so that I would understand how all people fit into a society. I just have a deep rooted love of all cultural aspects.



Just over a year ago, soon after emigrating here we hosted a small group of church people for an evening dinner. The topic somehow got on to Asians in NZ. We were delighted that this topic had arisen as there was so much we wanted to know about the Asian culture as most of it was new to us having never lived in an Asian country.



We encouraged the conversation almost but within a few minutes of getting in to it we sincerely wish we had not.



I would not like to post on a public forum what was said by our 'church' guests as I am still too offended by the comments made and there is no way we wish to offend any guests visiting this forum....however we had to take a stand.



Within an hour of finishing the lunch and deep into conversation we asked our guests to leave our house as there was no way we were prepared to listen to their offensive comments in our own home. Our teenage girls were present but chose to leave the lounge when such a conversation started as they have been brought up to respect all cultures and races. They have no problem in mixing in a multi cultural society and were shocked to hear grown adults resort to such ridiculous language and comments.



Never before have we had to throw someone out of the house, particularly when we had actually invited them in!



We left the white middle class church we belonged to and found another more suitable church. This was not easy however, and a lot hinged on this for me (Trisha) as I was actually working as a pastoral visitor in it. This is the only way I could make a personal stand against such racism however.



I continue to come across racism daily at work as I have previously mentioned in other parts of this forum and I am ashamed at people's reactions to another member of the human race.



I don't know always how to deal with it, but I do know that I will always take a stand and not join in comments or inappropriate behaviour.



We are still embarrassed that we had to throw a group of people out of our house...it was not done lightly. I hope however that they learnt a valuable lesson and that in some small way we have made others think of how they would deal with such a situation.



A few weeks ago Naomi walked home from school with a group of Asians. She came home and said that for the first time in her life she had been subject to comments from people passing in their cars and that some items had been thrown at the group (she did not know what they were). She was unsure as to whether it was because she happened to be in such a group that she experienced this, but I think I probably know the answer.



I am not naive enough to think this does not happen in Europe or further afield, but I do know this is the first time in my life that I have ever come across such racism to others and it saddens me deeply that I first experienced it in NZ.



Trisha

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We are a family of 5 who arrived in Christchurch Jan 2006 and left in July 2008.

Rachel now working in Australia as a qualified nurse, Hannah is off to Uni in UK to study English Lit and Lang and Naomi waiting for GCSE results.

They say a fish will not know water. Well I say a Kiwi will not know racism. If this sounds like reverse prejudice, so be it. I am tired of assembling intricate excuses for people who glibly disparage entire hemispheres of human life. The problem of racism in New Zealand must be brought into the open, even if it means giving Kiwis a taste of their own medicine. Just a taste, mind you, because if Kiwis had to take a full dose of their own medicine--that is, put up with the very same treatment they dispense to say, asian immigrants--they would gag and convulse.

I find it amazing that for a nation so dependent upon immigrants for their cash and skills, NZers will have the audacity to be racist. How come the people do not realize that their survival depends on trade with countries that are not all "white" (read China/India/Japan, etc.)? It is about time the Govt start educating the people about this real world they live in. I am not sure if NZers travel all that much but one has to be ignorant to be stuck in 50s and 60s while we are in year 2007 celebrating basic human rights such as respect and dignity regardless of your skin colour!

I suspect that New Zealand's dependence on asian money has amplified it's racist tendencies. It is an unflattering truth, for people who have historically seen themselves as a bastion of British Culture out among the impoverished nations of the Pacific, that they now depend on those nations for solvency. I would like to think that facing up to this truth is a simple growing pain for a young country blossoming into a more mature, post-colonial identity. I would like to think that economic necessity will be a mother to cultural reinvention. Alas, I cannot, but I'll settle for a much lesser goal: that immigrants be as welcome in New Zealand as their money.

I've found a lot more racism here and I'm in agreement... but there are a few things that I'm wondering about, so any other opinions would be good.



Things in New Zealand seem to be very open. Like on the depression ads the main focus is to talk about it and all support each other. I wonder if this is kiwi culture and why racism is so open here... because they've been brought up to 'talk about it'. I know that there is racism everywhere, as I'm sure we all do, but is that why it's so prominant in NZ?



Also, I have a few Asian friends at Burnside who have said that they've never come across any racism, and then I have some who are totally unhappy because of the racism they have experienced here. Is this mix common, I don't quite know how some people can avoid it totally and how some hate it here because of of how they're treated? It's kinda confusing and I was wondering on any opinions as to how this come about.



Thanks!

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"Optimists claim this to be the best of all worlds. The pessimist fears this to be true."

You bring up a very interesting point. I know there are personality differences that have the effect of shielding people from social hostility, and I've noticed some language and culture-related effects too.



For example, my sister is a very intelligent woman, but has always been pretty oblivious to 80% of what's going on around her. She's the sort of person who couldn't tell you what color her next-door neighbor's car is. I found it an interesting experience walking down Market Street in SF with her once. We passed a group of men, who of course started up with the whistling and the comments. One of them started following us, calling out the usual things. I turned around, and loudly surmised that somewhere out there, his mother, sister or daughter was enduring the same kind of treatment, and how did that make him feel? My sister's reaction? "Hm? Who are you talking to?" She'd been looking at the store windows, and completely missed all the commotion.



I've also heard of foreign students and expatriates who were unaware that they were being treated badly because of the language barrier. Any nasty comments went unheard, and any irritation or hostility that got through was just processed as a function of the person's inadeuqcy in the local language. Others actually just thought this was the way Kiwis acted towards everyone. I find the latter attitude is especially common among Japanese students, who have virtually no experience with racial discrimination and therefore can't spot it when it happens to them.



For example, I found a post on a Japanese forum complaining that Christchurch was a high-crime city. The poster had backpacked around NZ, and had been beaten up in Cathedral Square and hit by a rock thrown by a passerby elsewhere. The idea that he was perhaps targeted for being Asian didn't seem to occur to anyone on that thread, despite other people chiming in with their own stories about being assaulted in NZ.

Yes, there is plenty of disagreement on the issue of racism in New Zealand. To understand why, we would have to examine personal experiences and personal notions of the word "racism". For me, "racism" is just one of several categorical sociopathologies (like sexism, ethnocentrism, classism, etc.) found throughout human culture, so when I hear someone claim, for example, that a certain community is not racist, I must quickly remind myself that, for this someone, in this context, racism may be a relative notion, defined by comparison to other communities and not by some general form.



But this is where things get tricky, because people do slide between these notions of racism rather freely. As a matter of fact, an acquaintance who once strongly disagreed with me that "New Zealand is racist" later agreed that "Christchurch is more racist than Wellington". Well, what is that supposed to mean?



Confusing the issue further is the tendency for prejudice and pathology to form unanalysable complexes in the minds of the afflicted. Is someone who mistreats asian students racist per se, or is he/she ethnocentric, xenophobic, and/or fearful of the economic power these students represent? Who can say? Certainly not the afflicted.



Still, confusion notwithstanding, the claims of racism in New Zealand are strong, and made all the stronger by their widespread denial. There is simply too much direct evidence of racially indicated mistreatment and discrimination for Kiwis simply to shrug off or shunt aside the accusation. At the very least they must admit that it sticks. Because so many do not, I am forced to conclude that they are either blind to the evidence, or trying to suppress it.

Very interesting thread this is. Many countries in the world have racism as part of their cultural fabric. What has also helped many of these same nations is the intermingling of their people with those from other nations. In case of NZ, is it due to their remote location that they have sort of “missed the boat”? Is it possible some NZers are more predisposed to racist beliefs because they suffer from "frog in a well" syndrome? As much as I hate racism and all those who believe in the supremacy of one race over the other, I also have faith in the ability of human beings to absorb new information and make changes to their beliefs that are harmful to others. Is it then possible that a "cure" for racist attitudes in NZ would be to expose them to the world around them, to make them feel part of a bigger community of nations? Are the schools helping win this battle? That is where it all starts. Education and exposure to other cultures are main tools to fight this plague. By the way, no matter what the reasons are, no act of racism (stone throwing, beating, name calling, etc.) should be tolerated anywhere.

? I've not heard that one before! What's it's meaning? The frog can't get out?



Wintersmith, your story about you sister does put things into perspecitve and on character reviews of some of my friends they seem to be the same way... amazingly smart in school yet turned off to the world outside their school atmosphere. Pesonality is a key factor in how you judge racism.



I think I shall look racism up in the dictionary (and maybe some other words that I can't spell at the same time) and give the definition some more thought before saying much else, these post tuely make someone think!



Thanks!

I used to say to my wife things like, oh well, NZ is a small and isolated country, saddled by severe brain drain, Rogernomics, the whimsy of tourism, etc...so you have to expect a certain provincialism and closed-mindedness. Let's be patient, I would say. I would then struggle to find an appropriate level of tolerance toward my less open-minded acquaintances, and to offer spoonfuls of sympathy with my constructive criticism. But over time I saw what I suppose many people in the United States saw prior to the civil rights movement: that ignorance is not an excuse and tolerance of intolerance gets us nowhere. You cannot ease people out of their prejudice; you have to confront them with it. Shame them even. At the very least you have to draw a line and defend it.



I know, I know. I'm preaching. But it keeps me vigilant, and that's better than being patient.

I'm really sorry that you've experienced such terrible treatment. If it makes a difference (and you've probably heard it before), there're lots of New Zealanders wishing they lived somewhere else as well.



I don't think i've ever lived somewhere so intellectually bankrupt. It's worse than Hull, without the consolation of Larkin.

What nice feedback.



Thank you for taking the time to give your support.



Trisha and Peter

I am a Kiwi, born and bred in Christchurch. It is sad to hear that there are people that don't enjoy this fine city or this great country. I am proud to be a kiwi, and proud of what this small nation has acheived on the world stage.



Racism is part of the human condition and practised by all ethnic groups. I imagine that many kiwis feel, like I do, that Asian communities keep to themselves and fail to integrate to the kiwi lifestyle.



In my 45 years I have never seen any examples of a racist attack, in fact I have seen very little crime at all. I have never been assaulted and never been burgled. We have a safe country, an honest policeforce, a beautiful scenic playground for all sports and recreation.



I only hope that not too many people find out about this wonderful country and want to move here. If you don't like it, leave, or stay and make it a better place. But don't spend your time whining.



PS: If you are religious, go to America or Iran! We tend to be an atheist country and like it that way.



Cheers



Marc

I am a proud New Zealander and have lived in seven other countries around the world as well as visiting many more.



Before I continue, I would like to point out that I find it incredible that anyone would risk investing their time, money, and lifestyle in moving to a new country without first checking if it suits them. To take such a step surely anyone with an average level of intelligence would first visit this place and form their own opinions, rather than listen to those of others, especially from advertising etc - after all, would you buy a new house simply because it looked nice in the picture.



I might be stating the obvious but if you find New Zealand so appalling, why stay?



Racism is a problem in Christchurch but show me a place where it isn't??!!! Being a Caucasian and having lived in various Asian countries I've been the brunt of many racist attacks, both physical and verbal. Whilst these were upsetting at the time, never did I dream of whinging about it, after all I was in another persons country. I just got on with my life and took it as their problem, not mine (or the rest of that country's!). I always had the option to leave and return to "my" home.



It is human nature to fear or be jealous of people who are "different". Take it as a compliment and get on with it. If you are not a big enough person to do so, maybe you should look at what's important to you and return to where you feel comfortable. Remember not everyone is lucky enough to have opportunities to travel, experience and enjoy other cultures, and therefore are oblivious to the similarities we ALL share, and embrace the differences. Surely we will get further by educating people rather than rubbing them the wrong way by complaining and biting back.

Of course any intelligent person would do research before making the decision to immigrate. The point of this site is to provide them with information that is otherwise unavailable or difficult to infer.



As to why I am still here if I find it disappointing? Simple: getting in was a lot easier than getting out. My wife and I invested a lot of money in this venture, and much of it has gone straight down the tube. We are currently working hard to earn enough money to make our next move.

Last edited by Vitamin on Tue Dec 04, 2007 3:47 am

i am actually shocked at your post. Christchurch must be a long way behind the rest of the country. It has been years since i have seen or heard racial slurs in public towards asians, it could be that auckland has a reasonably large population of asian immigrants, i don't know. it's definitely more accepting, i know that.



Have you lived in Auckland for any time at all? (I can't vouch for welly)

I have spent considerable time in Auckland and found it much better, though perhaps still a little behind in office culture and hiring practices.



BTW, given the things I've heard Cantabrians say about Auckland and Aucklanders, I think it's safe to say that Christchurch has a generalized problem with bigotry. It's not just directed against immigrants.

office culture?