A Christchurch man says he went into shock when a tradesman allegedly called him a "n****r" and made gorilla noises at him in an early morning tirade.
Peter Retimanu, who is of Samoan descent, told NZME he was subjected to the racist abuse after asking the tradie to move his van, as it was parked too close to his driveway to get a clear view of the traffic.
The Shirley resident says the tradesman, who was painting his neighbour's house, simply refused - resulting in a heated argument that culminated in Mr Retimanu being called the n-word.
"I felt, not so much anger, but a deep disappointment - I couldn't believe it. I said, 'You called me a what?'," he told NZME.
"I think because you don't hear that word spoken at all, you go into shock. To compound it, he started making primate, gorilla noises. This was real redneck stuff."
Mr Retimanu says because it was such a brief and impassioned encounter, he didn't think to work out the painter's name or company - but says he spoke to his neighbour about the incident afterwards.
He said he was lucky the tradie had chosen to abuse him, rather than someone who'd deal to the situation using violence.
Peter Retimanu says he's adapted to institutionalised racism, telling NZME that he's deliberately tolerant, soft-speaking and well-dressed to prove he doesn't get stereotyped.