Nat candidate admits Smith's comments were racist

STUFF.CO.NZ: National's Kaikoura candidate has admitted comments about Asian and Pacific Island vineyard workers made by his colleague Lockwood Smith, the party's immigration spokesman, were racist.

Kaikoura MP Colin King was speaking at a candidate forum organised by the Marlborough Express in Blenheim last night.

Last week, Dr Smith told The Marlborough Express the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme could be expanded under a National government to include Asian workers, who were better pruners because they had smaller hands. He also said Pacific Islanders needed to be taught how to use toilets, showers and washing machines.

Dr Smith later apologised for his comments, which came after a series of meetings he had with winegrowers, contractors and the Marlborough District Council.

Mr King and other candidates contesting the Kaikoura and Te Tai Tonga electorates were asked at the final candidate forum whether they thought the comments were racist.

Mr King said they were, but lashed out at the Government, which he said had put Marlborough's brand at risk.

"(The Government) imposed a regime on Marlborough that it wanted to hide; it wanted to deflect that by pointing the finger at Lockwood Smith and saying racist.

"And on that basis we're living in a PC world that says if you speak out against a socialist then you are at risk ... it was interpreted as being racist and on that basis Lockwood Smith apologised, but I'm not happy with the way the Government put our brand at risk and I put the two Labour members on notice," he said, indicating Labour candidates for Kaikoura and Te Tai Tonga, Brian McNamara and Mahara Okeroa.

Both men, as well as Greens candidate Steffan Browning, said the comment was racist.

"It's racist and absolutely appalling," Mr Okeroa said to jeers from the audience of about 150.

However, ACT's Dave Tattersfield, Democrats for Social Credit's John McCaskey and Kiwi Party's Al Belcher said the comments were not racist.

"I think his comments were an observation of reality," Mr Belcher said.

NZ First candidate Linda Waimarie King did not give an answer.

"I don't engage in that sort of thing, I know very little about it."

Candidates were also challenged on their policies for education, health, the environment, energy, marriage and abortion. Blenheim teacher Dave Paterson asked what they would do to reduce class sizes.

"With the best will in the world, with a class of 34, I can only give them 10 minutes each."

Most candidates spoke about the policies their parties had introduced, or planned to introduce, to tackle class sizes, but Mr McCaskey, who has sought election intermittently since 1972, said Mr Paterson had asked a "corny old question".

"That's been coming up since I was a boy. We had one teacher and she used to come out on the train with that rotten milk we used to have to drink," he said, provoking knowing laughter from the audience.

When asked if he had confidence he would still have a job next year, Mr McNamara, a contract teacher at Marlborough Boys' College said he looked forward to taking advantage of some of Labour's re-training programmes for the unemployed.

The school could be forced to lay off staff after failed ventures left it with a debt of up to $1 million.