‘Tell her don't be a f***** clever Māori’ – Woman left shocked over car dealer's racist voice message

June 11, 2018

A woman has been left shaking and in tears after a car dealer left a racist voice message on her phone calling her a "f***** clever Māori".

Rotorua nurse Narrelle Newdick had visited the Farmer Auto Village in Tauranga with the hopes of buying a new car.

After taking one of their cars for a test run, Ms Newdick was set on buying the vehicle until she discovered the shocking message from the dealership left accidentally on her phone.

"Your little Māori girl…it keeps going to voice mail," two dealers can be heard saying to each other in the message.

"Tell her don't be a f***** clever Māori.

"Go back to Maketu and dig pipis out of the sand."

Ms Newdick told the TVNZ1's Marae programme she was upset and angry to hear the two minute conversation between the two Farmer Auto Village workers.

"When I received the message I couldn't believe what I was hearing," says Ms Newdick.

The message left her in a state of disbelief.

"What does he even mean by that 'don't be a f***** clever Māori'?

"So because I have a job and I work does that make me a clever Māori in his eyes? I was offended not only for myself but he's lumped us all in that box."

Marae approached Farmer Auto Village for comment on the message and were told that the company was shocked by the remarks.

They have since apologised to Ms Newdick.

"We are absolutely devastated that an employee within our used car department at Farmer Motor Group has made some offensive comments," Mike Farmer managing director of the company said in a statement.

Mr Farmer says the company is implementing a cultural and historical awareness programme company-wide following this incident.

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