Invercargill police are investigating after a taxi driver told them he was racially abused in the city in an incident which was caught on camera.
Police said in a statement the taxi driver reported the early-Friday morning incident at Invercargill Police Station.
Inquiries were continuing and they intended to speak to the driver again.
Man apologises
Invercargill resident Greg Shuttleworth, a technician for engineering company Jesco, said he was ''very remorseful'' for what he said to the driver of a taxi he got into about 12.30am on Friday.
His conversation with Invercargill Taxis Ltd driver Tariq Humayun was recorded by a camera installed in the vehicle.
The video showed Mr Shuttleworth referring to the driver as an ''Islam prick'' and saying he did not want to be driven around by him.
The driver asked whether Mr Shuttleworth was drunk, then stopped the taxi and asked him to pay the $7 fare.
Mr Shuttleworth asked the driver whether he was from New Zealand and told him to ''[expletive] off back to where you come from''.
''You don't belong here. All you are is Islam [expletive] . . . it's not good for my country,'' he said.
Mr Humayun told Mr Shuttleworth he was a proud Muslim and that the conversation was being recorded.
''I don't want to argue with you,'' the driver said.
Mr Shuttleworth eventually paid the $7 fare, after again telling the driver to leave New Zealand for his home country.
Last night, Mr Shuttleworth told the Otago Daily Times he regretted the incident.
He denied he was racist and said his comments were a result of his intoxication.
''I've tried to make contact with the person involved to apologise.
''He doesn't want to speak to me, and I understand why, but I've tried to apologise and I'm very remorseful for what I've done,'' he said.
Mr Shuttleworth said he did not feel animosity towards people of different ethnicities or religions, and he had never made racist comments to anyone before Friday.
''It was just a stupid mistake. I want to apologise to him and to any of his family members I may have offended,'' Mr Shuttleworth said.
The Herald on Sunday reported Mr Humayun had moved to Invercargill from Auckland two years ago. He was reportedly disheartened and upset by what happened.
''It was a bit shocking. I came here for a better future,'' he said.
Mr Humayun was a New Zealand citizen from Peshawar, Pakistan and had a master's degree in economics, the Herald on Sunday reported.
New Zealand Taxi Federation executive member and Otago representative Murray Alcock said he was not aware of any racist abuse towards taxi drivers in Dunedin.
Any incidents of racism were ''unfortunate'' and most came down to people ''not controlling their alcohol'', Mr Alcock said.
Venture Southland chief executive Paul Casson issued a statement yesterday condemning Mr Shuttleworth's behaviour.
''The verbal abuse on the gentleman is certainly unfortunate, unwarranted and demonstrated a lack of understanding towards our changing workforce. This random verbal abuse is unusual as both employers and the region appreciate the contribution new migrants make to our workforce, businesses and Southland as a whole,'' he said.
The Southland Muslim Association said the comments were disappointing and saddening.
Safinah Mohammed, of Invercargill Taxis, where Mr Humayun works, said the driver was still stressed from the incident and was not ready to talk.
While such verbal attacks were common, Mrs Mohammed sent the video to the media because of the severity of the abuse and the fact the passenger had targeted religion, she said.
The company had about 12 cabs and around 50% of its drivers were of ethnic origin. They came from a variety of backgrounds including Pakistani, Indian, Fijian and Maori, she said.
Race Relations commissioner Dame Susan Devoy applauded Mr Humayun's decision to speak out because people needed to be held accountable for such abuse.
''It's always hard to come forward and complain, particularly when you are the victim.''
Last night, Invercargill police said they would be looking into the matter and hoped to speak to Mr Humayun about the incident.
Additional reporting from APNZ.
