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Stepping up to replace the tattered flag, from left, Shalin’s son Ansh Datt, Shalin Vandhana, Peter Henderson and Sue Robertson. Sue holds the ripped flag that sparked the abusive calls.
A Warkworth motel owner has endured racist and abusive phone calls over the state of a flag that is not her responsibility.
Walton Park Motor Lodge owner Shalin Vandhana has had three hostile calls from different people over the last six months, all complaining about the state of the ripped New Zealand flag that flew from a flagpole in front of the motel, near the corner of Whitaker Road and SH1.
Earlier this month, Shalin received an email complaining about the flag, with a phone number attached.
She rang the number and explained to the writer that the flagpole was not on motel land and the motel had never had a part in erecting or maintaining it. But the man insisted otherwise and became increasingly irate and foul-mouthed.
“He ended by saying, ‘You f*cking Indians, that’s no way to treat our country’s flag’, and he put the phone down,” Shalin says.
Undaunted, she called the man back, rebuking him for swearing at a woman and inviting him to come to the motel and see her. The offer was not taken up.
Afterwards, Shalin became frightened and contacted Sue Robertson, a volunteer with her local Neighbourhood Support Group, who put her in touch with Victim Support. Sue also contacted Peter Henderson, of Warkworth Lions. Since 2015, Peter and his wife Carol have taken it upon themselves to periodically replace the flag when needed.
Peter says the couple have tried to find out who is responsible for the flag and flagpole, without success. Approaches to Auckland Council, which mows the lawn around the flagpole, proved fruitless.
“I hate to think of people driving past the tattered when they enter Warkworth, so I thought ‘stuff it, we will do it’,” he says.
Peter volunteered to pay for a new flag, but Shalin said she would not allow her abusers to “beat her down” and would take the high road and pay for a replacement herself.
Meanwhile, Peter agreed to attach it to the pole. Warkworth historian Dave Parker says the flagpole was originally looked after by the Rotary Club of Warkworth. A former member, the late Graham Jenkins who lived nearby, would raise the flag at 6am each morning and lower it again at 6pm.
Racism alive and well in Aotearoa
Race relations commissioner Meng Foon.
The impacts of racism felt by migrant communities in New Zealand are extensive, according to a report by the Human Rights Commission released last month.
These impacts are felt across the spectrum of day-to-day life including health, housing, employment, education, governance and the justice system.
In the report ‘Drivers of migrant New Zealanders’ experiences of racism’, race relations commissioner Meng Foon says findings from Stats NZ indicate that people born outside Aotearoa report high rates of discrimination compared with those born in Aotearoa.
“Further concerning statistics come from surveys that show that only about half of New Zealanders hold positive views of migrants,” he says.
Participants in the research recorded many examples of both latent and obvious racism. These included comments such as:
“As soon as they heard my voice, they said the house was taken. But we had friends ring the landlords for the same house and it was still available.” Indian focus group
“If you apply for a job and they call you up and say come for an interview, when you come in, they will see your face and say, ‘Sorry it’s gone, this job’.” Muslim focus group
“One person will be attached to us, so I’m going to train him. Then after a couple of weeks, the person I trained he’ll become my boss.” Filipino focus group
“We have so many complaints from Chinese elderly people who are living in state houses. In their state house community, there is lots of bullying and physical abuse. They smash the windows, threaten them because the Chinese elderly people like gardening, growing different types of vegetables.” Provider
Numerous opportunities to influence change and address racism in Aotearoa New Zealand were included in the report. These included honouring the Treaty of Waitangi and encouraging diverse leadership within Parliament and across the public sector.
The report also highlighted the need to provide children and young people with balanced perspectives on New Zealand history, and for individuals to take personal responsibility within their spheres of influence and form genuine relationships with people from other cultures.
The report will feed in to a national action plan against racism, which the commission is in the process of developing with the Government.
