Most New Zealanders welcome foreign visitors with open arms and, as a traveller, you're unlikely to experience overt discrimination to any great degree. There are few places in New Zealand where you will be refused service because of your race, colour or gender, although on rare occasions you may feel slightly uneasy . This can be the case for lone women in out-of-the-way country pubs , or for tourists who stray into predominantly Maori pubs. More often than not, the locals will be friendly but you might end up feeling like the cowboy who stops all the music and conversation when he walks through the door.

Despite constant efforts to maintain good relations between Maori and pakeha (Europeans), tensions do exist - inflamed by disproportionately high rates of unemployment and imprisonment among the Maori population. Asian immigrants, meanwhile, often bear the brunt of prejudice from both Maori and pakeha due to their high profile success in education and business and the perception that they are relative newcomers.