THE New Zealand Government yesterday caved in to pressure from schools and migrants led by Hong Kong expatriates to increase funding for English teaching to immigrant students.
As fellow ministers condemned moves by school principals to ban non-English speaking students, Education Minister Dr Lockwood Smith said this year's Budget would include more resources for the tuition of migrant children who have poor English.
The decision came after Chinese community leaders threatened legal action to block a proposal by school principals to bar non-English speaking children from attending their schools.
Hong Kong and Chinese expatriates accused the school leaders of using immigrant children as 'pawns on the political chessboard'.
Trade Minister Phillip Burdon said principals were 'playing the racist card', echoing condemnation from Prime Minister Jim Bolger who said the 'racial overtones' surrounding the issue were disturbing.
New Zealand's community leaders in Hong Kong urged the Bolger Government to protect relations with the territory.
'I think everybody should avoid this sort of situation because if we want to become a multicultural country we have to accept everybody should have the same opportunities,' said New Zealand-Hong Kong Business Association president Jim Cooke.