A Christchurch resident is reeling after suffering what they believe was a racially motivated attack by a neighbour.
On Saturday morning, Simone Kelbert was picking up her three-year-old son from her ex-partner's home in central Christchurch. When she was reversing out of his driveway, she saw an unhappy look on her ex's face, but it wasn't until he called her later that day that she found out the reason behind his expression.
In what the two believe was a racially motivated attack, a person had scratched a Swastika symbol into her ex-partner's car.
The Swastika is known for being a symbol of hate after its appropriation by the Nazi Party in the 20th century.
"Every time I think about it, I feel awful," Kelbert said.
The pair are both New Zealand residents originally from Brazil, however, Kelbert's ex-partner is African-Brazilian, which makes them believe the attack was racially motivated.
Kelbert said they believe a neighbour could be behind the attack due to the home being part of a housing complex that shares a carpark, which is a scary thought for the pair.
"Especially because it's not a very spacious place, so someone very close to his house is very racist and we don't know what to expect."
Kelbert's ex-partner called the police and a neighbour helped him sand the image off his car.
A police spokesperson confirmed they had received a report on the incident, but have nothing further to report at this stage.
Kelbert said the incident was very upsetting and hopes the perpetrator will be caught.
"New Zealand is a country formed also by people of diverse cultures and people of colour. We’re here. We need to be noticed, addressed. We are as members of the community as any other white, Kiwi-born person," she said.
