An Indian couple say they were left traumatised and made to feel unwelcome in New Zealand after a man allegedly hurled racist abuse at them and pushed the husband during a family outing at Christchurch’s Hagley Park.
The couple, whom Stuff has agreed not to name for safety reasons, had taken their 15-month-old son to see the park’s cherry blossoms on Saturday. They had been enjoying what they described as a “lovely sunny spring day” before the encounter turned into an “absolute nightmare”.
The couple have lived in Christchurch for more than six years. The father works in community mental health, and the family said they were “proud” their son was born in Aotearoa and is a New Zealand citizen, Stuff has reported.
“He is the first Kiwi in my family.”
The man said the incident began when his wife followed their toddler after he wandered off the footpath. A golfer reportedly began shouting at her from a distance, apparently concerned the child could be struck by a stray golf ball from the nearby Hagley Golf Club.
However, the man said the golfer also directed racist abuse at the family.
“Go back to your country, you f...ing idiots”, his wife recalled.
“He was absolutely not in control of himself,” the man told Stuff.
“He was screaming at the top of his lungs as if we were some sort of criminals,” as quoted by Stuff.
The father said he approached the golfer to understand his concerns, but the situation escalated. He alleged the golfer continued “yelling”, slammed his golf equipment onto the ground, “charged” at him and pushed him twice.
The second push caused the man’s neck to jerk, causing pain because he had undergone surgery about a year earlier.
“He was abusive to me and giving racist slurs as well,” Stuff has quoted.
The man said he understood the golfer’s concern about their child being near the golf course, but believed the manner in which he confronted the family was “deeply disturbing”.
He said the family had been walking along a public pathway with other people nearby and believed the incident reflected “the potential risk his behaviour may pose to other members of the wider community,” as quoted by Stuff.
Police confirmed they were investigating a reported assault. Police said the racial element of the incident had been noted and was also being followed up.
Witnesses have been asked to contact police through 105, quoting reference number P067603321.
The man said the encounter had left his family feeling like outsiders in a country they had called home for years.
“We’ll always be reminded of this, thanks to this man who thinks we don’t belong,” as quoted by Stuff.
Hagley Golf Club president Hamish Galloway said the club was “disturbed” by what had happened.
“It’s totally unacceptable,” Stuff has quoted.
Galloway said the club’s Saturday competition had finished not long before the incident, which occurred at about 1.15 pm. He said it was not yet known whether the man involved was a club member.
“We are investigating to find out who perpetrated this act and at this stage, we don’t know the identity of the person, Stuff has reported.
“We are very regretful that that happened on our golf course,” he said, adding that the club was willing to speak with the family about their experience, as reported by Stuff.
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