Prime Minister Sanna Marin is the first Finnish Prime Minister to visit New Zealand and today met with Jacinda Ardern at Government House in Epsom. Video / NZ Herald
The Act Party is denouncing an incident that reportedly involved a man using a knife to cut down an Ukrainian flag from above a Ukrainian-owned Auckland restaurant, deeming it a “hateful crime”.
Nataliya Shchetkova, who owns La Vista restaurant in St Heliers, woke this morning to find the Ukraine flag that featured prominently above her business had been cut down and stolen.
It comes amid Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine which has recently prompted torture allegations following Russia’s retreat from the city of Kherson.
Speaking outside the restaurant alongside Act leader David Seymour, Shchetkova said one of her neighbours had witnessed what appeared to be a man using a knife to cut down the flag about 12.30am.
“It’s just unbelievable that it happened in New Zealand, it’s absolutely unacceptable,” she said.
The flag featured prominently above the restaurant's entrance. Photo / Supplied. Photos / Supplied
“We want to show our support to the people of Ukraine and we put the flag on the restaurant because we are Ukrainian and we try to do our best to try and support the people in such an awful situation.”
Shchetkova had made a formal complaint at the Glen Innes police station earlier today.
The Herald was waiting for a comment from police on the incident.
Seymour said his condemnation of the incident was not a criticism of Russian Kiwis, but of those who considered this “hateful crime” appropriate.
He was careful not to call it a hate crime, noting the incident may have been committed by someone without political or ethnic motivations.
Seymour said he was not aware of Shchetkova experiencing similar incidents in the past.
Act foreign affairs spokeswoman Brooke van Velden said it was crucial to show support for Ukraine.
“The least that we can expect is that here in our own backyard, our Ukrainian-New Zealand friends and community can feel safe in showing their own support to their community back home,” she said.
Act foreign affairs spokeswoman Brooke van Velden. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Fundraisers co-ordinated by Act held at La Vista had raised about $80,000 which had been contributed to funds assisting Ukraine’s war effort.
Shchetkova and her family made headlines in 2019 when they were under threat of deportation before then-Associate Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi intervened.
Shchetkova, her husband Alex Derecha and their five children arrived in New Zealand in 2013 on an entrepreneur visa, which was set to expire on July 1, 2019.
They renewed their visa twice, the maximum number of times it can be renewed, and applied for residency but it was declined because Immigration NZ said their restaurant business did not add significant value to the country.
The family’s last option was to write to Faafoi and it turned out to be successful, as the associate minister informed the family they were allowed to stay another 12 months which enabled them to reapply for residency.
