Taste of small-town NZ turns sour for Indian family

By THERESA GARNER

A small-town motelier denied an Indian man a unit for a family holiday because she claimed he might make the room smelly by cooking curries.

Aucklander Partha Roychoudhury tried to book at the Morrinsville Motel yesterday morning. The permanent resident of 18 months wanted to take his wife and two boys, aged 7 and 2, off the beaten tourist trail for a taste of small-town New Zealand, and visit attractions such as the Te Aroha hot springs.

Motel operator Heather Nemhauser told him by phone that a room was available for last night and tonight.

But after learning that Mr Roychoudhury is Indian, she said she could not offer the room because she would not be able to get the smell out before the next guests arrived.

"This is the most humiliating thing anybody has ever said to me, either in New Zealand or elsewhere," said Mr Roychoudhury, 38.

Mrs Nemhauser had not asked the family if they would be cooking Indian food.

"It is nothing to make an assumption about. It is an ill-informed racist prejudice."

Mr Roychoudhury said the phone call "did not end well - I called her a racist and put the phone down".

The family came to New Zealand because it was a nice place to start a business and raise children.

"Our experiences so far have borne out that belief. This conversation was a complete shock."

Mrs Nemhauser referred questions to Waikato Motel Association president Ray Mudford, who said the issue "commonly" arose in motels, which lost income if they could not fill a room.

"In some cases the style of cooking leaves extensive amounts of odour in the rooms."

Chemical deodorisers often did not work.

"It takes time," he said.

"In this case [Morrinsville], they have a long booking coming into that room, and they are concerned that the guests coming in will refuse to stay with them because of those issues.

"Perhaps the gentleman concerned could have explained what he was going to do, to alleviate the stress."

The National Motel Association chief executive, Theo Simionides, said a protocol had been developed for members after discussions with the Race Relations Office.

"The key thing is to really explain that it's not a policy that is being applied to one ethnic group; that it is a general policy."

Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres said the incident was probably a prima facie case of discrimination.

"It's not unreasonable for moteliers to want to ensure that rooms are shipshape for the next guest, but they can't do that by saying that any one single group of people are unwelcome."

Mr Roychoudhury said he would not lodge a complaint, but wanted the hospitality industry to be more aware and more tolerant.

He gave up on Morrinsville and the family headed for Pauanui instead.