Baljit Singh, secretary of the Hastings Sikh Temple, says in the 25 years he has been in Hawke's Bay he has not experienced any racism towards him or any members of the wider Indian community.
He said the people of Hawke's Bay have always been "very accepting" of a variety of races, cultures and religions.
"Everyone seems very happy here, I've never had any problems, everyone in the Indian culture is very happy here. I've been here since 1989 and I've never seen any examples of racism."
Mr Singh said he found it easy to integrate into the wider community when he arrived.
"Everyone in our community is very positive, not negative. We try to mix with everyone in the community, in the workplace, at home, our neighbours. When we have big events we invite the whole community, all New Zealanders, we are happy to celebrate with everyone.