After New Zealand-based Indian couples expressed concerns on the country’s latest visa rules modifications, parliamentarian Shane Jones labelled the Indian community's concerns a “Bollywood over-reaction” leading to a tensed situation in the Wellington.
Infuriated by Jones' "racist" remarks on the "insensitive" visa rule that has made it difficult for people in arranged marriages to bring their spouses to New Zealand, Indians as well as New Zealand natives have taken to social media to slam the MP.
As of now, Jones is pushing back against claims that he is being insensitive, saying he will not be told what to do by migrants, reports suggest.
According to media reports, this latest statement from Jones comes just a month after he asked the tensed Indian community there to stop bringing their “whole village” to New Zealand if they have issues with the country rules, otherwise, the MP suggested Indians “catch the next flight home”.
In 2018, nearly 4.7 per cent of New Zealand's population identified themselves as Indians making it the fourth-largest ethnicity in the country after Europeans, the Maori and Chinese.
In addition, 2.5 per cent of the current population of New Zealand - nearly 117,348 people were recognised as “born in India”.