Her examples were similar to ones I've reported on and experienced myself in Mount Maunganui (we rented for four years before buying a home in the Bay): skyrocketing rents; landlords who won't rent to families with children and pets; and landlords who evict tenants during summer holidays.
While you may have had a grand time shifting from your rental for seven weeks over summer, our family's budget and patience ran dry after about four weeks on the road.
I've heard native Kiwis complain about similar circumstances.
People who were born and have lived most of their lives here lament paying $500 per week rent and not being able to own a pet because their lease prohibits it.
And yet – the comments section where the editorial appeared contained this gem from someone I'll call 'Superiority Complex (or SC)':
"You know what Kiwis truly enjoy? Foreigners who come to live here then whine about our way of life and how we do things … Theres [sic] a good old fashioned Kiwi saying that goes something along the lines of "If you don't like it, then you can …"
No, SC – take your nationalism, your ad hominem attacks, and stuff them. People like SC (who hide behind pseudonyms and shadow avatars) are ignoring facts:
*25 per cent of New Zealand residents were born outside this country.
*Many native-born Kiwis agree with views held by people born outside this country.
*One-quarter of the population, who pay rates (either directly or to landlords) and GST, vote, patronise local businesses and share skills with people in their communities did not leave their right to express opinions at the airport.
Picture the scene: Customs officer: "Anything to declare?"
Migrant: "Yes, I'd like New Zealand's rivers to be safe enough for me and my children to swim in."
Customs officer: "Oh, you can't say that. Only native-born residents are allowed to criticise New Zealand. Please refrain from expressing negative opinions, or we'll be forced to deport you. Or we'll subject you to scathing, illogical comments from fourth-generation Kiwis who sit around in their dressing gowns all day writing letters to the editor."
Migrant: "So you're saying I should stay out of the rivers?"
My friend, Nyla, has been advocating for clean waterways in Florida for years.
Problem is, she moved there from Washington State eight years ago, giving some people the notion she's not suited to deliver an opinion.
She wrote, "I occasionally get fed up and ask, 'Did it ever occur to you that fresh ideas and experience gained elsewhere is exactly what we need'?"
It reminds me of an email I received last month from someone who'd taken issue with an opinion piece I wrote last year.
The writer said if I didn't like New Zealand laws, I could – wait for it – "f*** off" (twice) – and – (guess what) – "…f*** off back where you came from and take your ignorance with you."
Charming.
Gentle reader: hostility is no replacement for rhetoric.
Vulgarity, no matter how many times repeated, is no proxy for intelligence. It's like trying to serve dinner guests a plate of maggoty intestines instead of eye fillet. They won't eat it, and neither will I.
Another friend, Lee, says almost every week, someone who doesn't like her opinion tells her to "Go back to China".
She's never visited mainland China and doesn't speak Chinese.
She's a third-generation New Zealander on the Chinese side whose mother was also born in Aotearoa.
Her father's ancestors arrived in the late 1700s, early 1800s. She's far from a newcomer, but some people appraise her based solely on appearance and decide her views don't count.
What to do? Maybe one-quarter of the population (those of us who actually are migrants) should keep our mouths shut.
We've no right to beliefs. We must also stop building homes, picking kiwifruit, serving meals, teaching, banking, practising medicine, accounting and cleaning. Quit paying taxes.
Tell me your facts are better researched and backed by better data than mine.
Tell me about your values, your beliefs, your family, your dreams …
Tell me why my arguments have struck a nerve.
Just don't tell me to 'go the f*** home'.
Because I'm already here.
Dawn Picken also writes for the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend and tutors at Toi Ohomai. She is a former TV journalist and marketing director who lives in Papamoa with her husband, two school-aged children and a dog named Ally.
