NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Brutal assaults scaring Auckland's Asian students

Morgan Tait
By Morgan Tait
Reporter·NZ Herald·
30 Mar, 2016 09:23 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Victims of serious assaults on Asian students in Auckland.

Victims of serious assaults on Asian students in Auckland.

A spate of violent attacks on Asian students in Auckland has raised concerns that offenders see the victims as easy targets.

Six young people were left bloodied, battered and terrified after the assaults.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown has requested a briefing, and concerns have also been raised with Police Minister Judith Collins.

The attacks - all in public places and mainly carried out during daylight hours - came as Thai authorities warned citizens of the dangers of such incidents in New Zealand.

Auckland City Police's Inspector Joe Tipene, who oversees Maori, Pacific and ethnic services, said the attacks were worrying and arrests were made in two of the cases.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

No further arrests have been made today in relation to the attacks but police said this evening they were following very positive lines of enquiry in both the Oakley Creek incident and the Albert Park incidents.

"We have executed search warrants today in relation to the Oakley Creek incident and enquiries are continuing," a police spokeswoman said.

There was no more CCTV footage of the Albert park incident.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The spokeswoman confirmed police were looking for six offenders, four women and two men, their ages described as being between 14 and 20.

Police were not aware of any further incidents of this nature recently.

Lots of positive feedback and support of the students had been sent via Facebook and people were continuing to share the images posted yesterday, the spokeswoman said.

Police were offering ongoing support to students who may be concerned about their safety.

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

SkyPath opponents reach deadline

30 Mar 04:00 PM
New Zealand

Teen behind bars over Asian attacks

01 Apr 05:06 AM
New Zealand|education

Student assaults: Disgust over FB post

03 Apr 07:04 PM
Retail

Can Foodstuffs make online shopping work?

07 Apr 09:00 PM

"We are continuing to liaise with the student community via existing channels and have offered to host another forum if required."

In the first attack, last Tuesday, two female Chinese University of Auckland students were attacked and robbed by a group of up to six teen boys and girls as they walked through Albert Park about 8.30pm.

They were punched and kicked, and the group pulled their hair before wrestling them to the ground and stealing one handbag and a phone.

One of the women fainted and was left with a deep cut below her eye. Both were bruised and very shaken. Phone, bank and bus records showed their stolen items had been used throughout Auckland.

Just before midnight on Wednesday, two Japanese women were attacked in Queen St, near Myers Park. They were allegedly dragged on to the road by their attackers who again punched them to the ground before kicking them and stealing their possessions.

Four young teens, aged 14 and 15 years old, were arrested following the attack and are due to appear in Youth Court this week.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A man who came to the victims' aid, Theo Gills, said one of the women had a head injury and was badly shaken.

Hours later, at 9.30am on Thursday, a male Chinese student walking to Unitec in Mt Albert was set upon by two men who beat him so severely photos show his face and upper body smeared in blood.

Footage of the scene of Mt Albert assault. The victim's face and body were smeared in blood.
Footage of the scene of Mt Albert assault. The victim's face and body were smeared in blood.

They kicked him and stomped on his head, breaking his glasses, and stole his laptop, before escaping in a car. On Monday night, an international student walking along Khyber Pass Rd near the corner of Broadway, Newmarket, was pushed to the ground by four youths aged between 12 and 14 years old who were later arrested.

Whau Local Board deputy chairwoman Susan Zhu said the incidents have caused widespread fear among the Chinese community, who felt vulnerable and helpless in the wake of the attacks.

CCTV image shows the alleged offenders involved in a brutal attack near Unitec in Mt Albert.
CCTV image shows the alleged offenders involved in a brutal attack near Unitec in Mt Albert.

"Some students have raised the issue with me that they feel very scared to go out and lots of parents in New Zealand and outside New Zealand are worried."

While there was an element of "wrong place, wrong time" Mrs Zhu questioned whether enough was being done to keep visitors safe.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"People have been talking about the city's stakeholders, for example, the police, whose first priority is to keep the community safe and in these three cases they have failed to keep our young students - who are our guests and who contribute hugely to our city - safe."

She was organising a public meeting with Auckland Council, police and other community groups, she said.

CCTV footage shows the attackers leaving in the victim's car.
CCTV footage shows the attackers leaving in the victim's car.

Chinese migrant Redd Qian was so disturbed by images of the attacks, that have been widely circulated on popular app WeChat, he organised the Run a Safer Community event.

"I wanted to show that we, the New Zealand Asian community, are wanting to help build a safer community."

Mr Qian, 30, has lived in New Zealand for 14 years and sympathised with not being familiar with the customs and laws of a new country.

"I know what it is like to feel helpless and vulnerable and that could have been my friends or even me [that were attacked]."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The run will leave Countdown Mt Eden at 8pm on Friday and finish at Albert Park and anyone is welcome, he said.

Mr Tipene expressed concerns about the number of recent aggravated robberies involving international students in the city.

"Police take [any] aggravated robbery or assault very seriously.

Brutal: A woman was left with a deep cut after she was set upon by a group of six teens.
Brutal: A woman was left with a deep cut after she was set upon by a group of six teens.

"There are opportunist offenders who will take advantage of people who sometimes inadvertently put themselves in vulnerable positions."

Mr Brown also reassured visitors that Auckland was a safe city, but he has requested a briefing on the attacks.

Ms Collins reiterated the police's message, and said a response was being prepared to a letter calling for more action on crimes against migrants.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A Unitec spokeswoman said the attacks were very worrying and had prompted additional security measures and education for all students.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

How end-to-end encryption shields online child exploitation

09 May 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Morning quiz: On two-person bicycle, what is the common term for the rider in front?

09 May 05:00 PM
Premium
New Zealand

Defence Force quietly shelves SAS elite unit trained for terrorism response

09 May 05:00 PM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

How end-to-end encryption shields online child exploitation

How end-to-end encryption shields online child exploitation

09 May 05:00 PM

Internal Affairs blocked over one million attempts to access illegal content last year.

Morning quiz: On two-person bicycle, what is the common term for the rider in front?

Morning quiz: On two-person bicycle, what is the common term for the rider in front?

09 May 05:00 PM
Premium
Defence Force quietly shelves SAS elite unit trained for terrorism response

Defence Force quietly shelves SAS elite unit trained for terrorism response

09 May 05:00 PM
'Like a prison': Students in revolt at posh Auckland school, principal caught on secret recording

'Like a prison': Students in revolt at posh Auckland school, principal caught on secret recording

09 May 05:00 PM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP