# Anti-Asian boycott call in Taranaki



## Song_Si

I find this incredibly disappointing, yet maybe not so surprising; New Plymouth once my 'home town' - that an elected representative could be so brazen in her anti-Asian bigotry. One more reason why I will never return there with my Thai family. 
At least some locals find it offensive.

*Food shop protest 'racist'*
JOHN ANTHONY Last updated 05:00 03/02/2011

Outspoken local body politician Sherril George is facing an investigation and calls to resign following her campaign urging people to boycott a Waitara food outlet.

Ms George stood outside the shop in the town's main street yesterday next to a sign urging people to "support businesses that support your community".

She handed out leaflets to shoppers berating the* Cambodian-owned *firm for, among other things, *not being local*, not employing locals, not investing in the local economy and for providing cheap and low quality products.

Residents and local-body colleagues turned on the New Plymouth District councillor yesterday, labelling her attack on Town and Country Food as "racist" and "disgusting".

But an unrepentant Ms George stared down her critics and accused the owners of "bleeding the town dry".

However, almost everyone spoken to by the Taranaki Daily News yesterday thought the opposite and New Plymouth mayor Harry Duynhoven said multiple complaints had been received over Ms George's behaviour.

"I did not know of her actions but would have seriously advised her not to have done that," Mr Duynhoven said.

The complaints would be investigated, he said.

Full story here


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## Song_Si

*"these people" ?*

one more quote from Ms George

_ I'm trying to make other small communities aware of what happens when* these people* move in._


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## NZCowboy

Reading the article this looks more like the reason for the one person protest .....
_Ms George said the protest had nothing to do with her own food outlet in Waitara losing customers. 

"This is nothing to do with my shop. This is to do with the health of our town and the economy. I'm trying to make other small communities aware of what happens when these people move in. There are 14 food stores here in Waitara and one comes in here and kills it for everyone else."_

You always get one or two crazy people no matter were you are. It doesn't seem like she has any support.


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## Song_Si

it's disgraceful for an elected public representative to speak like this; news like this travels fast, I was sent the story from a friend in China who'd been sent the link . . . and so on

Saw it an another website too, where she has been compared to Australia's Pauline Hanson who ran as a politician for her anti-immigration 'One Nation' (as in white Australia) party. A bit strong perhaps.

The pity is she is *not* representative of the population yet due to her position on the New Plymouth District Council gets this publicity.


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## swnz

Song_Si said:


> I find this incredibly disappointing, yet maybe not so surprising; New Plymouth once my 'home town' - that an elected representative could be so brazen in her anti-Asian bigotry. One more reason why I will never return there with my Thai family.
> At least some locals find it offensive.


I wouldn't pay any attention to her - she's always grandstanding about some ridiculous issue. Unfortunately this type of thing happens the world over, particularly in small towns the size of Waitara.

She doesn't have any support, and hopefully this will be the final nail in the coffin of her political career.


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## topcat83

NZCowboy said:


> Reading the article this looks more like the reason for the one person protest .....
> _Ms George said the protest had nothing to do with her own food outlet in Waitara losing customers.
> 
> "This is nothing to do with my shop. This is to do with the health of our town and the economy. I'm trying to make other small communities aware of what happens when these people move in. There are 14 food stores here in Waitara and one comes in here and kills it for everyone else."_
> 
> You always get one or two crazy people no matter were you are. It doesn't seem like she has any support.


My immediate impression when reading this quote was 'maybe they provide a better service and value for money than the other 14 - and therefore deserve the business. Maybe this is a call for the rest to pull their socks up!'


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## Song_Si

*'Racist' cafe campaign backfires*

Pleased to see the response from local people to this District councillor, good on them for showing their support.

*'Racist' cafe campaign backfires*
JOHN ANTHONY Last updated 05:00 04/02/2011









NO WORRIES: In the aftermath of a New Plymouth councillor's campaign against his shop, Hoyt Khuon said business was booming.

*The furore stirred up by a campaign urging Waitara people to boycott a new food outlet in the town has backfired, with the business posting its busiest day yet.*

The woman behind the drive, New Plymouth District councillor Sherril George, was herself the target of severe criticism as news of the controversy spread nationwide.

Race Relations commissioner Joris de Bres described Ms George's actions as shocking.

On Wednesday she stood outside the door of Town and Country Food handing out pamphlets urging passersby to shop elsewhere.

"I think Ms George's comments come dangerously close to xenophobia," Mr de Bres said.

"I was quite shocked but I'm very heartened by the way people have both challenged her and disassociated themselves from her comments," he said.

Her actions also outraged Waitara residents and community representatives, with some labelling her comments as "racist" and "disgusting".

Of the 370 people who had voted in a Taranaki Daily News online poll by 9pm yesterday, 91 per cent said her campaign was racist.

Yesterday Ms George apologised for some of her comments but was not backing down in her campaign.

"It was not about race, it was about supporting our community and existing businesses."

Ms George said she would not be standing down from her position on the council.

Town and Country Food owner Hoyt Khuon said yesterday was one of his busiest days since the shop opened one month ago.

About 100 people had phoned him offering their support and apologising for Ms George's behaviour, he said.

"I say 'don't worry about it. I'm just loving what I'm doing here'."

He was not troubled by Ms George's accusations and chose to ignore her.

"It's good advertising for me, thanks to her."

Mr Khuon, 31, came to New Zealand as a refugee in 1998 and lived with his grandmother in Hamilton before he moved to Waitara six weeks ago.

"I'm a Kiwi, I have a New Zealand passport.

This was the first time he had owned his own business.

New Plymouth mayor Harry Duynhoven said a lot of people were upset at the campaign.

"People from the community are very wound up and a lot of councillors are very angry about this."

The council had invested a great deal into Waitara to help boost business and encourage people to the small town, Mr Duynhoven said.

Ms George said she apologised to the council and the community "for bringing them into disrepute".

She also apologised for saying she would investigate the immigration status of Mr Khuon and his employees.

"It was in the heat of the moment. I'm not playing the race game."

On Wednesday she accused Town and Country Food of being a franchise which was "sucking the community dry".

Mr Khuon said that Town and Country was not a franchise.

Recently Mrs George spent $20,000 fitting out half of a shop she owned in Waitara for an Indian restaurant franchise Masala Express, which was owned by a New Plymouth resident.


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## Song_Si

*Councillor could be stripped of power over spat*

Last updated 05:00 10/02/2011

Sherril George's protest against a Waitara food outlet could see her stripped of all influence she has as a councillor.

At a closed meeting yesterday the New Plymouth District Council's monitoring committee decided to investigate possible breaches of the code of conduct by Ms George.

The council had received various complaints about Ms George's campaign against Town and Country Food in Waitara. A number had also been lodged regarding her comments to the media and other individuals.

Mayor Harry Duynhoven said if the investigation found there was a breach, Ms George could be sanctioned or censured from any council committees, boards and other representative bodies on which she was a member.

"It would be quite a powerful sanction," Mr Duynhoven said.

The council could not stand down Ms George as a councillor because she held a democratically elected position, he said.

Councillor could be stripped of power over spat | Stuff.co.nz


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## Constipated Earwig

OP: I am a kiwi originally from Waitara, now living in New Plymouth. Please whatever you do, don't let the bigoted words of ONE person sway you from such an awesome part of New Zealand, the backlash from her comments was/is swift & will continue to be harsh, Ms George is already feeling the heat, BIGTIME! The community as a whole has come out swinging at Ms George, condemning her racist comments. She has already had to resign from a local business forum & is most likely going to loose her position on the council. As for her pizza business, I wouldn't at all be surprised if it goes under as that was her reason to attack Town & Country in the first place. The great news in all this is the business (and owner) she attacked has seen record takings since her outburst so he really has come out a winner in all this. I think if you look at this whole incident you will see ONE person acting out in a very inappropriate manor & an entire community condemning her with massive support for the immigrant, that to me sounds like a good caring community right there, wouldn't you agree?


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## NZCowboy

It reminds me of a couple of years ago a Kebab shop owner in Invercargill, who refused to serve Jewish customers. Protesters target cafe in Gaza row - national | Stuff.co.nz
Was in Invercargill at the start of November, and I noticed that it had closed, and I asked around as it had been quite successful business, and the locals all said that after the Jewish incident people voted with there feet and within 18 months the had to close.


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## Constipated Earwig

NZCowboy said:


> It reminds me of a couple of years ago a Kebab shop owner in Invercargill, who refused to serve Jewish customers. Protesters target cafe in Gaza row - national | Stuff.co.nz
> Was in Invercargill at the start of November, and I noticed that it had closed, and I asked around as it had been quite successful business, and the locals all said that after the Jewish incident people voted with there feet and within 18 months the had to close.


That's great to hear, I would eat my hat if her pizza business is still open in 18months. NZ needs people that are hard workers, good savers & prepared to take a risk by going into business as this chap has done.


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## Dumbo

I have been living in Thailand now for year now, close to the Cambodia Border. It never ceases to amaze me how hard many of the people here work. Seven days a week and long hours. And they still smile. M/s George go and buy yourself a plane ticket to Asia and see how hard many of these people work without complaining. The Gentleman from Cambodia is a asset to Waitara and NZ. If you cannot stand the competition close you business. And yes I do love NZ


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