A woman walks past a ‘Don’t Spit’ poster in China (Reuters)

Wellington (New Zealand), Feb. 23 (AP): The mayor of New Zealand’s largest city has chastised Asian immigrants for “filthy habits” such as spitting on sidewalks, a news report said today.

Auckland mayor John Banks said regional civic and business leaders recently told him they were disgusted by immigrants, mainly from Asia, “using public pavements as handkerchiefs”, the New Zealand Herald said.

“I don’t hold back in stopping them in the street and telling them in this country we don’t do that,” the newspaper quoted Banks as saying of immigrants.

With a population of 1.2 million, Auckland is New Zealand’s most populous city. About 280,000 of New Zealand’s 4 million people are of Asian ancestry and most live in Auckland.

A reporter sought Banks’ comments after the issue was raised by the local Tamaki community board at a meeting on February 18, the Herald said. Banks said the Auckland regional council, Tamaki Business Association and local retailers had also raised the matter of “notably Asians” spitting on footpaths.

“Many of them come from countries where spitting in public is acceptable and when they come here they assume it’s the same,” the Herald quoted Banks as saying. In a telephone interview today, Banks was adamant that his comments should not be interpreted as part of an anti-migrant campaign.