“Immediately we stopped, and when we turned around they were laughing,” she said.
“This older man, once we turned around, got prepared to fight, took his sunglasses off. Basically was just like ‘keep moving’ or whatever.”
She said the man threatened them, saying “you haven’t seen angry yet and once you see angry you’ll be going in an ambulance”.
Constantine said they did not want to get into a fight for fear they would be deported, saying Keauna was only in the first week of her four-year veterinary course.
The couple both shed tears as they talked about the incident.
“We can’t get deported over some dumb f***ing people,” Constantine said.
“When we were coming here we did a bunch of research, we made sure we weren’t coming into a place with this shit.
“We lived in a racist state in the United States but we’ve never experienced anything like this . . . to be, like, dehumanised, like this, the way she was, and for people to be this way, like, they’re not afraid of anything . . . they’re just so unafraid to act this way.”
Keauna said there were six police cars across the street and they were fearful they would be arrested on the spot if they were caught up in a fight.
“We just didn’t know what to do, we were both just filled with anger.”
She said it was “blatant racism”.
The pair said they had experienced “weirdness” in New Zealand with people staring at Keauna because she is black.
“This event here really, like, confirmed the feelings that we were both having of how people were looking at me. They’re looking at me with ‘you’re not supposed to be here, you’re a disgusting - you’re not a person’.”
A police spokesperson confirmed the matter was reported to police on Sunday evening and inquiries into it were in the early stages.
“We appreciate the complainants are very shaken and police will be looking to identify those involved so we can establish what has occurred.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 105 quoting file number: 230305/5639 or alternatively you can visit your local station.”
Massey University has also spoken out on Twitter, calling the alleged incident “absolutely appalling and unacceptable”.
University staff have contacted the couple and are offering them support.
The university’s deputy vice-chancellor of students and global engagement, Dr Tere McGonagle-Daly, said in a statement they were saddened by the incident.
“Representatives from the university, including our Student Wellbeing Team, have been in touch with the student and we are wrapping support around her and her partner to ensure they feel safe and supported while so far away from home,” McGonagle-Daly said.
“It’s extremely important to us that all students, international and domestic, feel welcomed in the community and on campus. We are proud of the way the student and her partner have stood up publicly to call out unacceptable behaviour.
“Racist acts like this are not tolerated at Massey and should not be tolerated by New Zealanders. This sad situation should give us pause for thought - that racism still unfortunately exists in Aotearoa New Zealand and that we need to voice this sort of behaviour, not only to deal with it openly but to help avoid similar situations for future generations.”
