Racism in NZ

The SST reports:

A self-described “little old Chinese lady” has waded into the racism debate, saying she has suffered decades of racial abuse.

Victoria Beck, 70, said she has been abused in the street, told to go back to Asia, and even been hit by passers-by, despite calling New Zealand home for most of her life. And the situation was worsening, she said.

“As a little old Chinese lady, I am the target of much more physical, verbal and emotional abuse today.” …

Her complaint came after Blues coach Pat Lam suffered racist attacks on internet message boards and talkback radio because of his team’s failings.

Beck said she was not surprised at the attacks against Lam and his team. She migrated here with her family at the age of six and was given an English name to ease the transition. She later took on her husband’s surname.

But having an English name did not stop the racism, she said. “I want people to know how damn vicious some whites are here. The root of it has always been a colour division.”

She recalls being pushed into the gutter in Auckland’s Parnell by a group of young people who told her to “go home, Asian”.

Growing up here, she said, neighbours would scrawl racist remarks on the footpath outside her home. “I felt shame as if there was something wrong with me, my family, my race,” she said. “Chinese have long been a despised minority here.”

My gut feeling is that Chinese New Zealanders probably suffer the worse overt racism in New Zealand. It’s ironic as they generally have the highest employment rates, educational achievement and lowest crimes rates.