New Zealand branded 'racist as f***' by Thor director Taika Waititi

He insists his homeland is 'the best place on the planet' despite the comments

Film director Taika Waititi has described his homeland of New Zealand as “a racist place” in a brand new interview.

The filmmaker behind Marvel sequel Thor: Ragnarok was speaking with the musician Ruban Nielson, for an interview with Dazed and Confused magazine when he made the claim.

Detailing the racism he faces in his homeland, Waititi said: “People just flat-out refuse to pronounce Maori names properly. There's still profiling when it comes to Polynesians. It's not even a colour thing - like, 'Oh, there's a black person.' It's, 'If you're Poly then you're getting profiled.'”

He insists New Zealand is “the best place on the planet" despite his comments.

Waititi - whose credits also includes comedy film Hunt for the Wilderpeople - was born to a Jewish-European mother and a Maori father of Te-Whanau-a-Apanui descent.

His claims were backed up by many in his homeland who praised the director for sharing his experience of racism while others - including New Zealand TV host Duncan Garner who accused Waititi of 'sabotaging' the country on The AM Show.

He said: “This guy... he's gone too far, it's too extreme. Lighten up, and change the record. Come home and re-introduce yourself to your country. It's a great little country that's not without its challenges but we're not as racist as 'F'.”

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