Christine posted about an unfortunate experience her young daughter had on a public bus in suburban Christchurch. It seems that xenophobia is alive and kicking – at least here in the Garden City.
My parents were immigrants to New Zealand. 50 years ago they were refugees from the Hungarian revolution and came here to find a better life for them and their (future) children. So I can appreciate the sacrifice that immigrants make to secure a future for their families.
I also know that many immigrants (my parents included) avoid teaching their children their mother’s-tongue in an effort to increase the chances of them being “real kiwis” – remember real kiwis play Rugby, Drink Beer and don’t speak any language other than English.
Remember people – other than Tangata Whenua we’re all immigrants going back only a few short generations – if your self confidence is sufficiently low that you need to put someone else down to bolster yourself – maybe step back and think about what you’re doing.
Ben Kepes is an analyst, an entrepreneur, a commentator and a business adviser. His business interests include a diverse range of industries from manufacturing to property to technology. As a technology commentator he has a broad presence both in the traditional media and extensively online. Ben covers the convergance of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users. 