Oakland Mayor Wayne Brown
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has apologized after he described an Indian-origin Radio New Zealand employee as a “Muslim terrorist” during a visit to the radio’s offices in Auckland.The incident occurred on Monday when Brown arrived on Radio New Zealand (RNZ) to appear on its afternoon programme. According to RNZ, the mayor was greeted by a staff member who apologized for the delay, noting that security at the building was tight.An RNZ spokesperson said: “The mayor responded with a comment along the lines of ‘security cannot be tightened if we are in the company of a Muslim terrorist’.”
The employee also said Brown commented on his appearance, saying, “Oh my God, look at your beard.”The employee, who did not give his name, said he was shocked and hurt. He said: “I agree with the mayor that his statements were inappropriate and disrespectful. He added: “The danger of racial and religious profiling, especially by those in leadership positions.”Sarah Nelson, RNZ’s chief people officer, described the comments as unacceptable, saying: “Our immediate concern is for our colleague who is understandably hurt.”
“In our workplace, we want people to be treated with respect, including by our guests,” she added.Brown later issued an email apology, saying his remarks were a “failed attempt at humor” and accepting responsibility. “I understand that my words were disrespectful, and I regret the hurt I caused.”But the dispute worsened after he indicated respect for the Sikh community, even though the employee was not Sikh.
Brown later said that employees had misinformed him.In another statement, the mayor said he often uses humor in public interactions but acknowledged he “got it wrong,” adding that he remains committed to representing all Oakland residents.These comments sparked strong reactions from the Indian community in New Zealand. Pancha Narayan described the statement as racist, saying it revealed gaps in how hate speech is dealt with.
“You can’t say that and then take it back as a joke.”Daljeet Singh described the comment as “unbelievable”, while Jaspreet Kandari said it was “very unfortunate”, noting Brown’s popularity in the community. Himanshu Parmar warned that dismissing such language as humor risks normalizing it: “Tone matters.”
