Carver Hamiora Te Kirikaramu presents Aiomai Nuku-Tarawhiti with carvings ahead of Friday's mediation process. Photo / Supplied
Carver Hamiora Te Kirikaramu presents Aiomai Nuku-Tarawhiti with carvings ahead of Friday's mediation process. Photo / Supplied
The family of cousins who say they were racially profiled at Farmers in Tauranga say they are "ready as can be" for mediation with the store's upper management on Friday.
The Human Rights Commission is conducting a mediation process between the two parties in Rotorua after receiving two formal complaints,one from Aiomai Nuku-Tarawhiti's grandfather, Hone Tarawhiti, and the other from her cousin Shae Brown.
The date of mediation is exactly two months after Rotorua 15-year-old Aiomai and Brown from Tauranga were left feeling humiliated after they said they were victims of "racial profiling" at Farmers' Tauriko store at The Crossing.
The cousins said they were shopping on December 11 and were walking the aisles unable to find the brand of perfume they wanted when they say they were approached by a staff member who asked them to leave.
Farmers at The Crossing, Tauriko. Photo / George Novak
They said the staff member told them security had alerted her the pair did not look like they were going to buy anything and could steal something.
The pair said the staff member told them if they wanted to stay, they would need to be followed and the staff member told Aiomai she looked "undesirable".
The cousins spoke out about it to the Rotorua Daily Post in the hope it stopped similar incidences. In a tearful video, Aiomai detailed the hurt it had caused them. The video went viral and Farmers' Facebook page attracted thousands of comments and posts from outraged New Zealanders.
Grandfather, Hone Tarawhiti, said: "As a whānau we are as ready as can be and will tell our side of the story."
Tarawhiti said he had refused to sign a standard confidentiality agreement ahead of the mediation process as he believed he should always have freedom of speech.
He said it was one of the requests from the Human Rights Commission as part of the mediation process.
"I have made it clear we won't be signing it... This is our voice and we are entitled to say what we want to say and how we feel around the situation... We will not be gagged."
The Rotorua Daily Post asked the Human Rights Commission how this impacted the mediation process.
In a written response, a spokesperson said: "The Human Rights Commission does not comment on specific cases due to the confidential nature of our complaints procedure which ensures protection of individuals and safeguards the impartiality of our dispute resolution process."
Carver Hamiora Te Kirikaramu presents Aiomai Nuku-Tarawhiti with carvings ahead of Friday's mediation process. Photo / Supplied
Farmers also declined to comment. In a statement, chief financial officer Michael Power said: "Farmers has been proactive in seeking the assistance of the commission to assist us with engaging with the family in a constructive and mutually respectful way. By committing to this mediation we have agreed to comply with the HRC processes. We have no public comment to make at this time."
Meanwhile, Tarawhiti said his family had been transparent, patient and waited eagerly for their opportunity to address the issue.
"We want to be part of the solution and not the problem so that my mokopuna can close this chapter and Farmers will know that our whānau will never tolerate or stand by any form of insult or offensive language towards our young Māori girls.''
He said in his opinion: ''Being labelled 'undesirable' is not only sickening but motivated by racial profiling and discrimination which has no place in our communities our country."
Tarawhiti intended to tell the mediation process he was seeking a sincere apology to both girls from the Farmers' store manager and a personal apology from the staff member.
He wanted to see the staff member lose her job and he wanted all staff employed at Farmers to undertake cultural diversity training, with an appropriate trainer chosen by his family.
He's also seeking an educational grant or scholarship for Aiomai to help continue her education "with confidence" as well as "assistance" for Brown who had suffered the same humiliation.
Tarawhiti described his resolution outcomes were "straightforward" and he wasn't seeking the impossible.
He said he was disappointed to learn the staff member concerned would not be attending the mediation process and he intended to tell those at mediation her absence was "disgraceful".
A taonga was carved and gifted for Aiomai Nuku-Tarawhiti as a sympbol of stregnth. Photo / Supplied
At the weekend, Aiomai was given taonga from Christchurch carver Hamiora Te Kirikaramu, who visited them.
Tarawhiti said the taonga was a "tewhatewha", which was a weapon to symbolise strength of her character.
He also gave her a "heru" (ornamental comb) that Aiomai will wear to the mediation.
"Hamiora made our Waitangi Day because he shared his skill as a carver and how his upbringing and skill set in carving connected with the journey that Aiomai is undertaking for her build up to this Friday."
