A New Plymouth District councillor, who last week staged a protest against a Cambodian-owned takeaway joint in Waitara, has resigned from her post in the local business association.
Sherril George handed out brochures outside Waitara's Town and Country Food on Wednesday last week, urging people to boycott the store, in a protest Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres said was "deplorable".
Ms George, who owns a pizzeria in Waitara, said she wanted people to support their "local community" and argued Town and Country Food was a franchise driving other businesses out.
Ms George resigned from her post on the Waitara Business Promotions Association on Saturday, with executive member Craig McFarlane saying she had also apologised for her actions, the Taranaki Daily News reported.
Town and Country Food owner Hoyt Khuon, who runs the shop with his family and has lived in New Zealand since 1998, told NZPA last week he was shocked by Ms George's actions but he had received at least 100 calls of support in the day following her protest.
"I am not a foreigner, I am a Kiwi. I hold a New Zealand passport," he said.
Ms George's protest did not intimidate him and he was able to keep his sense of humour.
"I'm not scared about what she's trying to do...I've got a lot of people supporting me -- even the mayor."
NZPA