A Chinese property website has come under heavy criticism after telling customers to take into account the proportion of Māori or Pacific Islanders in an area before buying.
Hougarden's article headline translates to 'How many Dao Mao are there in your neighborhood'?
Dao Mao is considered by many to be a racial slur against Māori or Pacific Islanders, however some people of Chinese descent commenting on Reddit say it is just a contraction for the words for Māori and Pacific Islanders.
The article then goes on to warn property buyers to consider the number of Māori or Pacific Islanders in the suburbs they are looking at.
The article included statistics showing the breakdown of ethnicities in different suburbs and the effect on house prices.
"Most people care about vital statistics in every urban area, especially the proportion of ethnic groups," a Newshub translation of the Hougarden text reads.
"Because of some well-known reasons, the proportion of ethnic groups affect the prices of houses in urban areas. But for the daily life of everyone, the proportion of ethnic groups has some connections with the atmosphere of the whole community.
"So, dear readers, you have to consider carefully about the street where the house you want is located, analyse the problems specifically. You can only buy the houses that you like in the housing market."
Hougarden has apologised for the article, saying "it was not our intention to offend but we have erred in our choice of words here."
"In a recent item on Hougarden.com, the term 'Dao Mao' was used in the context of story discussing the ethnic make-up of Auckland's suburbs. Hougarden.com regrets choosing this wording, which can be seen as offensive to New Zealanders who have Māori or Pacific Islands ancestry.
"Regardless, Hougarden apologises for a poor choice of words. It was inappropriate terminology and should not have been used. We apologise unreservedly for any offence caused. We have taken steps to ensure the term 'Dao Mao' will not used on Hougarden.com in the future."
Newshub.
