Kiwis are being urged to call out unacceptable behaviour after a group dressed as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) sparked outrage at a Tauranga community quiz.
On August 19 a community quiz night was held by the Kaimai Settlers Committee at the Lower Kaimai Hall, also known as the Settlers Hall.
But horror and shock echoed through the quiz when a group participating turned up dressed as the KKK.
The story, which was first reported by former 3News journalist David Farrier on WebWorm, has caused outrage among the community and across the motu.
One woman who Farrier spoke to said the team was last to arrive and when they did an "audible reaction" was heard.
"I looked around and was really shocked," she said.
The woman told WebWorm the team's quiz name was 'Give us a Klu' and was even awarded a prize for commitment to their costume because the hoods remained throughout the night - not taking them off even to drink.
Massey University sociologist Professor Paul Spoonley told AM this is just a series of incidents that Aotearoa has seen in recent years. He said "my heart sank" when he saw the story.
"I think 'why would anybody think it was appropriate to turn up to a community event dressed in the robes of a hate group, a white supremacist group in New Zealand in 2023?'. It's just appalling."
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Prof Spoonley believes this highlights a growing issue in Aotearoa of Kiwis supporting these types of ideologies. Prof Spoonley said he's being "extremely generous" when saying it's partly the ignorance and naivety of some Kiwis.
"We've also seen a series of blackface incidents where people thought it was okay to put a blackface on and parody lampoon African-American people. And so why when we get these incidents, why don't people speak out and make it very clear that it is simply unacceptable?"
In a statement, the committee told AM they discussed removing the group from the quiz night, but no one had voiced concerns at the time.
Khadija Leadership Network founder Tayyaba Khan said while it's initially "shocking" it's "really important" that Kiwis start having a conversation and take leadership in speaking out.
"People were shocked, but nobody actually spoke to them about this shock, and I think what we need to start from as New Zealanders, given our culture and how we usually respond to these situations," Khan said.
"So as bystanders, even if we can have the conversation about how we're feeling, that would be a starting point."
The committee said they have since strongly suggested to the group that they front with an explanation and apologise for what they did.
Khan told AM's Laura Tupou the damage has already been done, and while an apology is "not sufficient enough" it is a starting point.
"We need to really get to a point where we're having open and honest conversations, actually getting smarter about what this means. Having the right language and talking to each other about why you would even behave in that way."
Prof Spoonley agreed. He's calling for honest and vigorous conversations because there are things "that we simply should not see and are not acceptable".
"When these things occur at an event like this, then they should take some leadership. And we do need leadership more broadly. We need people to condemn this and say it is not acceptable."
Watch the video above for more.
