Auckland mayor calls Indian-origin staffer ‘Muslim terrorist’, issues apology

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has apologised after allegedly calling an Indian-origin Radio New Zealand staff member a “Muslim terrorist” during a visit to the broadcaster’s Auckland officesa.The incident took place on Monday as Brown arrived at Radio New Zealand (RNZ) for an appearance on its Afternoons programme. According to RNZ, a staff member greeted the mayor and apologised for a delay, mentioning that security in the building was tight.“The Mayor responded with a comment along the lines of ‘security can’t be very tight if we’re being escorted by a Muslim terrorist’,” an RNZ spokesperson said, reports Australia Today. The staff member also said Brown commented on his appearance, saying “gosh, look at your beard”.The employee, who has not been named, said he was left shocked and hurt. He said: “I agree with the Mayor that his comments were inappropriate and disrespectful. He added: “the danger of racial and religious stereotyping, especially by those in positions of leadership”.RNZ chief people officer Sarah Neilson called the comments as unacceptable, saying: “Our immediate concern is for our colleague who was understandably hurt.” She added, “At our workplace we want people to be treated with respect, including by our guests.”Brown later issued an apology by email and said his remark was a “fumbled attempt at humour” and accepted responsibility. “I understand that my words were disrespectful, and I regret the harm they caused.”However the row worsened after he referred to respect for the Sikh community, despite the staff member not being Sikh. Brown later said he had been wrongly briefed by staff.In a further statement, the mayor said he often used humour in public interactions but acknowledged he “got this one wrong”, adding that he remained committed to representing all Aucklanders.The comments have sparked strong reactions from New Zealand’s Indian community. Pancha Narayan described the remark as racist, saying it exposed gaps in how hate speech is addressed. “You can’t say it and then retract it as a joke.”Daljit Singh called the comment “unbelievable”, while Jaspreet Kandhari said it was “very unfortunate”, noting Brown’s popularity in the community. Himanshu Parmar warned that dismissing such language as humour risked normalising it: “The tone matters.”