A video of a wahine being subjected to abuse by a man after an unrecorded traffic incident has been shared widely on social media and condemned as yet another example of everyday racism in Aotearoa.
Erina ‘Edz’ Wehi (Ngāti Maniapoto) began recording after an alleged traffic incident and described the man, driving a utility vehicle marked with the company name Alarm Services Ltd, racially abusing her.
“The first thing he said to me was “You black piece of ****king ****.”
“I’m posting this whānau because racism is real…so I followed him because he’s just constantly abused me on the road and that’s not cool aye.”
“And, you know what, I’m cool with being called black because I’m coloured but I’m proud to be coloured – but you do not whakaiti my tūpuna mana.”
She then turns her camera towards the vehicle, which is parked in front of her.
The man then gives the finger to Wehi before continuing his tirade.
“Haven’t you got a job?” he continues, “Lowlife scum you are.”
Wehi is an educationalist in the health sector, delivering workshops to assist mental health. She has also travelled widely, including a trek to Everest Base Camp and a marathon at the Great Wall of China.
“As for this poor matua, I feel for him because he’s got something wrong with him,” she says in the video before being subjected to further abuse from the man, who then appears to take a couple of photos himself for unknown purposes.
Wehi appears unflustered throughout the video and signs off with a smile, “share this, because racism is real whānau”.
Te Ao Māori News has contacted Alarm Services Ltd, where the man in question denied Wehi's account of events.
"I’ve got legal advice due to issues created by this and I did nothing wrong," he said, "There was nothing racist and that was the end of it."
"What you have seen is completely incorrect and it's actually a racist comment made by the other party and I'm not going to make any other comment."
Despite the interaction captured in the video, the man accused Wehi of being abusive and racist towards him and said he had laid a complaint with police over harassment and dangerous driving.
Te Ao Māori News contacted NZ police who said they would not comment due to privacy restrictions.