<p>Because he wanted to be close to sinkies.
</p>
<p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</p>
<p> <font size="2">New Zealand's Race Relations Commissioner, Joris de Bres, said that discrimination was definitely a problem. </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">"There has been a disturbing increase in recent times in what I'd call conversational discrimination, and particularly in relation to Asian immigrants," he said. </font>
</p>
<p><font size="2"><b>Media campaign</b> </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">New Zealand's Human Rights Commission is sponsoring an advertising campaign to nip this trend in the bud. </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">The NZ$1.5m (US$870,000 ) series of TV, radio, billboard and newspaper advertisements aims to challenge racial stereotypes - and is being paid for by a group of media and advertising companies led by McCann Ericks. </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">"I'd been living in Asia for just under six years, and whenever people asked me how migrant-friendly New Zealand was as a nation, I said we were very, very migrant friendly," said the company's managing director John Roberts. </font>
</p>
<p> <!-- S IIMA --> <font size="2">
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="203"> <tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<div>
<img alt="McCann Ericksons managing director John Roberts " src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39460000/jpg/_39460133_roberts_203.jpg" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="203" />
<div class="cap">John Roberts heard several racist comments during focus groups
</div>
</div> </td>
</tr> </tbody>
</table> <!-- E IIMA --> "When I arrived back last year and started sifting through some independent research groups that we run, some really quite distasteful racist comments were coming up," he said. </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">One of the comments was: "You can guarantee if there's an accident, an Asian will be involved." </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">Another said: "The government should shut the doors. Who wants all these people ruining our good life?" </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">Mr Roberts believes comments like these are a reaction to how New Zealand has changed - and is still changing. </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">"Auckland is a great example," he said. "<font color="#ff1d1d"><b><font size="5">You walk down Queen Street now and to be honest you could be in Hong Kong or Singapore</font></b></font>. The look of the place has changed, and I think that's scared people." </font>
</p>
</p>
<p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</p>
<p> <font size="2">New Zealand's Race Relations Commissioner, Joris de Bres, said that discrimination was definitely a problem. </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">"There has been a disturbing increase in recent times in what I'd call conversational discrimination, and particularly in relation to Asian immigrants," he said. </font>
</p>
<p><font size="2"><b>Media campaign</b> </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">New Zealand's Human Rights Commission is sponsoring an advertising campaign to nip this trend in the bud. </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">The NZ$1.5m (US$870,000 ) series of TV, radio, billboard and newspaper advertisements aims to challenge racial stereotypes - and is being paid for by a group of media and advertising companies led by McCann Ericks. </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">"I'd been living in Asia for just under six years, and whenever people asked me how migrant-friendly New Zealand was as a nation, I said we were very, very migrant friendly," said the company's managing director John Roberts. </font>
</p>
<p> <!-- S IIMA --> <font size="2">
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="203"> <tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<div>
<img alt="McCann Ericksons managing director John Roberts " src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39460000/jpg/_39460133_roberts_203.jpg" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="203" />
<div class="cap">John Roberts heard several racist comments during focus groups
</div>
</div> </td>
</tr> </tbody>
</table> <!-- E IIMA --> "When I arrived back last year and started sifting through some independent research groups that we run, some really quite distasteful racist comments were coming up," he said. </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">One of the comments was: "You can guarantee if there's an accident, an Asian will be involved." </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">Another said: "The government should shut the doors. Who wants all these people ruining our good life?" </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">Mr Roberts believes comments like these are a reaction to how New Zealand has changed - and is still changing. </font>
</p>
<p> <font size="2">"Auckland is a great example," he said. "<font color="#ff1d1d"><b><font size="5">You walk down Queen Street now and to be honest you could be in Hong Kong or Singapore</font></b></font>. The look of the place has changed, and I think that's scared people." </font>
</p>
