Several candidates of Chinese descent in Auckland were shocked to see their faces erased with white paint or cut out of their election campaign boards, next to Pākehā candidates whose faces were spared.
Howick Ward councillor Paul Young, who is again running for the seat this year, said his face had been cut out or painted over in more than 20 billboards.
This was Young's eighth local body election and not the first time his billboards had been defaced, but he said this year's damage had been the worst yet.
He was more concerned that the racist acts could discourage newer ethnic candidates, he said.
"It's very bad for young east Asian or ethnic candidates who want to stand up to make a contribution for our community and Tāmaki Makaurau ... such racism, it's not acceptable."
Young told Morning Report education was the best way to combat the issue but he also urged anyone who witnessed vandalism of campaign billboards to inform the police.
He said the vandalism could prevent new candidates from standing if they feared "those people or those groups can do whatever they want".
"This is not the first time and getting worse in this area."
Young said New Zealand was his home and the targeting of the billboards was unacceptable.
"I have been living here for last 33 years ... Aotearoa New Zealand is our home - is my home - so it should not happen like this."
First time election candidate Vinson Yu said he felt disheartened and angry after seeing his face cut out of his campaign boards in Bucklands Beach.
Yu is running for a seat in Howick Local Board, which has an Asian population of 46 percent.
"I wanted to run for the elections because I want to represent and better serve the Asian community, this deserves respect.
"We are fairly participating in the elections," said Yu who is a justice of peace and deputy chair of the Botany & Flat Bush Ethnic Association.
Auckland mayoral candidate and barrister Robert Hu was one among three east Asian candidates whose faces on campaign boards on Somerville Road had been erased with white paint.
"Are they saying our faces are not white enough? Are they saying that we must be white in order to qualify for the elections?"
Hu said he had reported it to the police and the Human Rights Commission.
He also intended to report the incident to international groups as racism targeted at Asians had been on the rise globally, he said.
Human Rights Commissioner Meng Foon said these were "despicable" acts of racism and that the commission was investigating.
Foon was concerned about the cases of racism and physical attacks on Asians recently and wanted the government to act faster on legislating against hate crimes in Aotearoa.
Hate crimes were not yet standalone offences in New Zealand, but police were flagging offences where prejudice forms part of the motivation, in efforts to improve its response to hate crimes.
Official information from the police shows 8246 hate-motivated offences have been recorded over the past three years.
RNZ
