In a recent press release, the Minister for Ethnic Communities Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has welcomed a new report which details the overwhelmingly positive influence Auckland’s increasing Asian population is having on the city.

“As Minister for Ethnic Communities, and as the MP for the ethnically diverse electorate for Maungakiekie, I welcome this report which underlines the positive influences and the diverse contribution these Asian populations have.

“From the fine food, colourful festivals and the arts, our Asian communities are a welcome addition to our cultural landscape. They bring colour, culture and diversity to our city.

Our government is committed to ensuring New Zealand’s ethnic diversity is embraced, supported and celebrated,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

So, according to Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, NZ culture before we were invaded by hordes of Pacific Islanders, Chinese, Indians, Pakistani Middle Eastern, African and various other cultures completely foreign to our way of existence, the country was bereft of fine food, had no colourful festivals, and no art.

We had no colour, we had no culture, and we had no diversity. Well as for the third, many might say that was a good thing, as the need for vast amounts of surveillance and data collection by spy agencies didn’t exist either.

It amazes me how comments so disparaging of NZ’s traditional culture can be made so freely and remain uncriticised. Are NZers of European descent so afraid of speaking out that they let these kind of insulting comments from the Minister go by without a whisper of protest?

The Ministry should not exist anyway. Bill English complains at the difficulties of balancing the budget, and spends $6 billion a year on interest on debt, to keep the Ministry for Ethnic Communities and a bunch of similar divisive but politically correct taxpayer rip offs functioning.

Close the Ministry down, and get rid of its rude insulting Minister, and use the money to pay off debt.