KEY POINTS:
The past year has been mainly positive for racial harmony, says Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres.
However, the police anti-terrorism raids and their aftermath could have had a damaging effect, he says in his annual review of race relations.
Unanswered questions about the raids - which have
resulted in several people facing firearms charges - had provoked unease, Mr de Bres said. The raids and comments made about them had skewed the number of complaints to the commission alleging someone had incited racial disharmony.
"The issues are first and foremost human rights issues rather than simply race relations," Mr de Bres told the Herald. "There are undoubtedly race relations elements within the whole thing, but it's not purely or primarily a race relations issue.
"That in no way belittles people's concerns.
"At the moment all we can really say is what I've said there: it caused distress, it caused disquiet, there are unanswered questions."
Police executed search warrants in Auckland, Whakatane, Ruatoki, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch. Several of those arrested were Maori, including prominent Tuhoe activist Tame Iti.
Mr de Bres said questions about the long-term impact of the arrests on race relations could not be answered until court proceedings were over and bodies such as the Independent Police Conduct Authority had reported the findings of their investigations into the raids.
"There are plenty of allegations that need to be examined still in relation to whether the police conduct was discriminatory. It clearly had a resonance in terms of earlier historical acts, but I think everybody is keen to see this not damage race relations and is keen for any human rights issues to be addressed through the proper processes."
The Human Rights Commission is planning a report on the human rights implications of the raids.
Mr de Bres did not think the raids were the most significant event last year in terms of race relations, citing the launch of the new school curriculum last November as a landmark moment.
Mr de Bres also highlighted interfaith forums.
* WHO ARE WE?
European: 2,609,592 67 per cent
Maori: 565,329 14.6 per cent
New Zealander: 429,429 11.1 per cent
Asian: 354,552 9.2 per cent
Pacific: 265,974 6.9 per cent
Other: 36,237 0.9 per cent
(Figures: Census 2006)
* MIGRATION TRENDS
46,964 migrants were approved for residence in 2006-07.
They came from Britain (26 per cent), China (12 per cent), India (9 per cent), South Africa (8 per cent), Philippines (6 per cent), Fiji (5 per cent), Samoa (4 per cent), US (3 per cent), South Korea and Tonga (2 per cent each).
* RACE RELATIONS COMPLAINTS
414 complaints and inquiries on race-related issues; 100 were resolved at an early stage.
Generic race issues were the main cause for complaint, with the largest number being employment-related.
* ISSUES INCLUDED
Employers wanting to hire people of a certain ethnicity.
A car salesman who did not want to sell vehicles to Indians.
A bank refusing a cheque written in Maori.
