Oakland Mayor Wayne Brown
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has apologized for allegedly calling an Indian-origin Radio New Zealand staff member a “Muslim terrorist” during a visit to Radio New Zealand’s Auckland offices.The incident occurred on Monday when Brown arrived at Radio New Zealand (RNZ) for his afternoon show. According to the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, a staff member greeted the mayor and apologized for being late, noting that security measures in the building were very strict.According to Australia Today, a spokesman for the Royal Bank of New Zealand said, “The mayor’s response was, ‘If we had a Muslim terrorist escort, the security would not be too tight’.” The staffer also said Brown commented on his appearance, saying “Oh my God, look at your beard.”The employee, who asked not to be named, said he was shocked and hurt. He said: “I agree with the mayor that his comments were inappropriate and disrespectful. “There is a danger of racial and religious stereotyping, particularly of those in leadership positions,” he added.RNZ chief people officer Sarah Neilson called the comments unacceptable, saying: “Our biggest concern is for our colleague who is understandably hurt.” She added: “In our workplace we expect people to be treated with respect, including our guests.”Brown later apologized via email, saying his comments were a “clumsy attempt at humor” and taking responsibility. “I know my comments were disrespectful and I regret the hurt they caused.”However, the altercation became more serious after he mentioned respecting the Sikh community, despite the staff member not being Sikh. Brown later said the staff briefed him on the situation was wrong.In a further statement, the mayor said he often uses humor in public interactions but admitted he “got it wrong”, adding that he remained committed to representing all Aucklanders.This remark triggered a strong reaction from the Indian community in New Zealand. Pancha Narayan described the remarks as racist, saying it exposed gaps in the way hate speech is handled. “You can’t say it and then take it back as a joke.”Daljit Singh called the comment “incredible,” while Jaspreet Kandhari said it was “very unfortunate,” noting Brown’s popularity in the community. Himanshu Parmar warns that treating such language as humor risks normalizing it: “Tone matters.”
