Torrent of racial abuse shocks Tauranga couple

By Rachel Tiffen
John Malia used to think his South Korean wife's gripes about racism in the Bay were exaggerated - until Saturday when he witnessed it first-hand.
The retired electrical engineer was entertaining two wealthy South Korean businessmen - one of whom was his wife Hyun's cousin - and the trio stopped off for a bite to eat and a pint at the Te Puna Tavern.
The visitors were completely taken with the beautiful scenery in the Western Bay and were considering using the New Zealand market for their timber business.
So when a drunken woman bowled up to their table and let loose with a torrent of abuse, they were shocked and embarrassed.
"The woman said 'Why don't you people go home? You're trying to take over New Zealand, taking our jobs' and that sort of nonsense. But she'd had a bit to drink," he said.
Mr Malia was appalled and ashamed that his well-respected companions had been exposed to such blatant racism.
"The men tried to turn sideways and ignore it. It just annoys me - people speaking out of sheer ignorance," he said.
But his wife has experienced the sting of a racist tongue or a racist glare before. She said she brushed off racist comments or behaviour about once or twice a week and found she was sometimes overlooked in stores.
"And I'm not going out to pick fights with people," 47-year-old Mrs Malia told the Bay of Plenty Times.
She has a close-knit group of South Korean friends who sometimes get together to vent their frustrations.
As an intensive and continuous care nurse at Tauranga Hospital with 25 years' experience, Mrs Hyun said she found she often had to prove herself beyond Pakeha or European-looking nurses. "I have to prove I'm competent."
But for the most part, the Malias are happy in their tranquil Te Puna homestead. They just want people to open their minds to different cultures.
"I think there's still a lot of cultural misunderstanding because they [Asians] like to get together and go around together. We just want to make harmony living together," Mrs Malia said.
"This is a beautiful country. I even support the All Blacks in the World Cup," laughed Mr Malia, who is English.
Earlier this month, German woman Uschi Braun, 44, wrote to the Bay of Plenty Times to condemn a heartless attack in which a German friend was confronted by a co-worker performing the Nazi salute.
The Tauranga Ethnic Council member Uschi Braun said a 31-year-old German friend - who has New Zealand residency and speaks fluent English - had walked into the warehouse where she worked and was greeted with a Hitler salute by one of her colleagues.
"How would you feel? What would you do? My friend, who is very polite, was too stunned to react immediately," Ms Braun wrote. She too deals with discrimination in the Western Bay.
"I experienced a lot of hidden racism from ex-bosses and colleagues who made snide remarks."
And people sometimes told her she spoke "funny", which "hurts because I can't get rid of the accent."
Hella Wilson, president of the Tauranga Ethnic Council, was sorry to hear about the Malias' experience. She said "a small percentage" of foreigners experienced racial discrimination in the Western Bay.
People didn't often come to the council with complaints and, when they did, sheer ignorance was usually at fault.
"There is a little bit of that with languages. Sometimes it's because people think they don't speak English," she said.
* Have you been subjected to racial abuse here? Contact us on (07) 577-3154 or email news@bopp.co.nz and let us know.