Come back next year with a smile, visitors to Queen Street told

4.00pm - By IAN STUART

Aucklanders worried about the increase in the number of Asian students in the downtown city have been told to come back next year with a smile and a greater dose of tolerance.

Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres said people complaining that the Government's immigration policies had allowed too many Asian students into New Zealand were confused.

The Herald asked readers what they thought about Queen Street and many of the replies complained about the "sea of Asian faces".

Others said the street was smelly, a filthy disgrace to the city, appalling and instead of creating an international destination city, idle local body planning and Government policy had left Queen Street a "destitute hub of cheap and tacky Asian crap".

Yet another said the city was turning into a mini Asia with "crap clothing and gadget shops everywhere purely catering to the students".

One reader said she was reluctant to go out at lunch because of the Asian influx.

"They hog the footpaths, congregating in large groups outside the doorways and entrances to the countless English language schools, and do not do not seem to have the courtesy to move aside and let people past."

However, Mr de Bres said he regularly walked up and down Queen Street and there was no doubt there were a lot of educational establishments and a lot of students.

However, that was not a result of the Government's immigration policy but rather a result of the marketing of Auckland as a centre of international learning.

He said people who blamed the increase on the Government were confusing international students with international migrants.

"International students are like international tourists and we don't say we shouldn't have tourists from Asia because they are one of the mainstays of our economy and international students are an important part of the economy as well."

"My message is that they are all people.

"If you think there are too many people in Queen Street that may be an issue but if you are starting to worry about their ethnic origin, you have to have a bit of a think about it."

Queen Street was an exciting place and part of a diverse and buzzing city.

Mr de Bres said his Christmas message to everybody in Queen Street, regardless of their ethnic origin, would be to have a good holiday and bring a smile back next year.

- NZPA