Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has apologized after allegedly calling an Indian-origin Radio New Zealand staff member a “Muslim terrorist” during a visit to the broadcaster’s Auckland office.The incident occurred on Monday when Brown arrived for an appearance on Radio New Zealand (RNZ)’s afternoon programme. According to RNZ, a staff member greeted the mayor and apologized for the delay and explained that security at the building was tight.An RNZ spokesperson said, “The mayor responded with the comment that ‘security can’t be too tight if we have a Muslim terrorist under our protection,'” Australia Today reported. The staff member also said that Brown commented on his appearance, saying, “Oh my God, look at your beard”.The employee, who has not been named, said he was shocked and hurt. He said: “I agree with the mayor that his comments were inappropriate and offensive. He added: “The danger of racial and religious stereotyping, especially by people in leadership positions.RNZ’s chief people officer Sarah Nielsen described the comments as unacceptable, saying: “Our immediate concern is for our colleague who was understandably hurt.” He added, “At our workplace we want people to be treated with respect, including our guests.”Brown later issued an apology by email and said his comment was “a failed attempt at humor” and accepted responsibility. “I understand that my words were offensive, and I am sorry for the harm they caused.”However the controversy worsened when he cited respect for the Sikh community despite the staff member not being a Sikh. Brown later said that he was given incorrect information by staff.In a further statement, the Mayor said he often uses humor in public speaking, but acknowledged that he “got it wrong”, adding that he was committed to representing all Aucklanders.These comments have drawn strong reactions from the Indian community of New Zealand. Pancha Narayan described the comment as racist, saying it highlights the difference in how hate speech is addressed. “You can’t say that and then take it back as a joke.”Daljit Singh called the comment “incredible”, while Jaspreet Kandhari called it “very unfortunate” given Brown’s popularity in the community. Himanshu Parmar warned that dismissing such language as humorous risks normalizing it: “Tone matters.”
