MarkMcKeown

I recently moved to New Zealand permanently, and the last two weeks have been amazing. Great place, great people, very welcoming country.

I'm temporarily living in the Henderson area of Auckland, as it is near the office I work. People at work tell me that Henderson is not a nice area of town, but I've never really seen anything wrong with it....until now.

I was just standing outside a shop looking in the window, in broad daylight minding my own business when someone walked by me and spat on me! I turned round in disbelief and this chap spat on me again! I was too in shock to say anything or do anything, he strolled a few yards down the road and spat on another chap. I wouldn't say he was a Maori, but he was definitely of a darker complexion. Had long braided hair. He was wearing nice clothes so he wasn't a homeless loon or anything.

Anyway, I could never imagine this happening in UK and it has me really nervous now about moving here. Does this happen often? Why would he spit on me? Are some pacific islanders here racist against whites?

Thankfully this weekend I'm moving to my permanent place in Mt Eden, which I'm told is a much nicer area to live in.

BEVS

Gross. That's disgusting.

I'd say very unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Clearly the person has issues he needs to sort. That's if he didn't receive a busted nose further up the street.

jmh

I'm sorry to hear this. It's completely unacceptable and, I have to say, I've never come across it before, either in the UK or NZ.

All I can think is that he is on something or is 'care in the community'.

My nearest shopping centre is really dodgy and has a court in it so the place is full of criminals, but I've never had any problem with people having a go or anything.

barnsleymat

We lived in Henderson for a year and there's a fair few non whites with a chip on their shoulder. I bet I know exactly which row of shops you were stood by, one of the streets was always frequented by scum.

We never had any major issues but a few things did happen when I was out and about, had some bother walking home from the Hanger Bar one night, they're not too good at handling their booze. Also had a few issues with pissed up young wanna gangsters out walking the dog too thinking they were dead hard shouting stuff.

Henderson is such a boring place we rarely did anything local so we weren't around the streets much.

A Rush And A Push

Mt Eden is much much nicer than Henderson

barnsleymat

This happened when we were living there:

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/arti...ectid=10810876

and just to think, we couldn't have afforded to buy a house in Henderson even if we'd have wanted to!!!

Helen256

Blimey

I've experienced this in the UK. I had my hair up and wrapped in a scarf when at uni. As I walked into town (I lived in the 'rougher' end of town), a man walked past me and spat. I was too shocked and confused to say anything at the time. I should have just swiftly connected my knee with his junk, in hindsight;
1. for spitting
2. for being a racist numpty
3. for being an assuming idiot (I'm not, nor have I even been to India, which is where the racial slur suggested I was from)...

I hope you're ok, safe and well in Mt Eden!

pippalonghorn

that is disgusting. I work in a homeless shelter and can safely say that 99% would not dream of spitting on anyone. I wouldn't take it personally. I was shouted at by a woman a few months ago.

marooned5

There are definitely unpleasant people, nutters and racists everywhere. But, to add my (entirely subjective) experience, I have witnessed and experienced far more aggressive / unpleasant / in your face behavior in a couple of years here in my smallish town in NZ than I ever did in years in the UK, even when I lived and work in the roughest dog-end of a big northern city.
It's one of the things I like least about being here.

luvwelly

'Blanket Man' in Wellington used to spit at people - used to give him as wide a berth as possible.

Tom1983

Count your blessings you've never met Roy Hattersley

Sptting is one of his favourite hobbies, especially when talking

You needed an umbrella to protect yourself from him

davros1984

Sorry to hear whats happened. I have colleagues who live in Henderson and they regularly tell me of cops chasing through their gardens/yards after people. Its certainly a bit of a rough area, but its a "cheaper" area of Auckland compared to say parts of the N. Shore - so you'll more likely get trouble there.

There are issues with Maori's/Islanders and white people in small doses - be prepared for it. I find its best for the above to not mix outside of a work environment (that is my own experience only - not intended as a complete generalisation).

In addition, New Zealand is not perfect - like so many immigrants think it will be, i.e. no crime, no trouble etc. NZ has its issues just like pretty much all countries do.

I guess the tinted glasses are a little clearer now.

BEVS

True. Exact same issues. Different land is all.

Charismatic

I've lived here years and never been spat on but then I've never lived in Auckland either . Like every country NZ does have it's fare share of cabbages, busy bodies, mentals and retards. Also, like many other countries, we have yet to get round to implementing a system which separates the wheat from the chaff.

I suppose it's easy to judge them by our "normal people" standards coming from an ordinary human society but how would we feel if we completely lacked self awareness, simply didn't understand social convention or had your brain replaced with a cabbage overnight? Makes you think doesn't it...?

gazmac

This is unusual for anywhere, uk, nz, oz.

Just bad luck.

He could just as easy been white.

Dont let this one incident taint your impression of Maori or PI peeps.