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New Zealand police have arrested a 61-year-old Papatoetoe man after vile racist graffiti targeting Indians was found outside a primary school in Auckland.
The graffiti, “K*## All Indians,” was spray-painted outside Papatoetoe Central School on Saturday. It sparked outrage in the community and was quickly removed.
Police said the graffiti was threatening in nature and that enquiries throughout the week led to a swift arrest. The 61-year-old man was charged with offensive behaviour and wilful damage under the Summary Offences Act. He was due to appear in the Manukau District Court.
Isolated Incident: New Zealand Police
Inspector Dave Christoffersen, Counties Manukau West Area Commander, said police understood the hurt the incident had caused and had taken it seriously from the outset.
“Given the threatening nature of the graffiti, our team has been making enquiries throughout the week, which has led to a quick arrest,” Christoffersen said in a statement.
He also sought to reassure the community that it was an isolated incident.
“I can reassure the community that we have assessed this particular event as an isolated incident and that there is no wider risk to the community,” he said.
“We have made this assessment with information obtained through the investigation and after interviewing the man who has been charged,” Christoffersen said, adding, “I am unable to go into the specifics of this, as we now need to let the court process take its course.”
Racist Attacks In New Zealand
Sher Singh of the Migrant Rights Network NZ, who posted a photo of the graffiti on Facebook and helped draw public attention to the incident, said the case was “disappointing.”
“This sort of behaviour is unacceptable in New Zealand,” Singh posted on social media, calling for stronger action. “It is a real sign of weak community leadership and weak representation and weak government. After so many racist attacks in New Zealand, yet no action has been taken,” Singh added.
New Zealand police hate crime data released earlier this year revealed that of the 22,069 hate incidents reported between January 2022 and October 2025, racial discrimination accounted for 80 per cent of the complaints.
South Asians (4,767) were the most targeted group, followed by Asians (2,616), people of colour (1,884) and Māori (1,427).
