M.P. hits at ‘ugly’ Kiwi

Press, 17 June 1988, Page 1

M.P. hits at ‘ugly’ Kiwi

pa • Wellington New Zealand is a tourist destination well on the way to becoming a banana republic overrun with criminals and welfare beneficiaries, said the Opposition spokesman on tourism, Mr John Banks, yesterday. He told the Inbound Tour Operators’ Council conference that nothing would kill tourism faster than an international reputation that New Zealand was fast becoming an El Dorado for vicious criminals. Latest Interpol statistics and domestic crime figures showed that New Zealand had some of the worst violent crime in the Western world, he said. For a number of international travellers their mem-

ories of a visit down under were no more than a nightmare. “If anyone thinks an unprovoked and savage attack on a Japanese tourist will not impact badly for us in Yokohama they are hallucinating.” Mr Banks said that in recent months Americans, Australians, Canadians, West German and Japanese visitors had been “pillaged, battered, tortured and raped” by so-called friendly New Zealanders. Nothing would kill tourism faster than a reputation that New Zealand was a beautiful country inhabited by “ugly” people. A Government’s first responsibility was to ensure the security of not only citizens but also international visitors.