Wednesday, 20 March 2019

WEDNESDAY, 20 MARCH 2019

WEDNESDAY, 20 MARCH 2019

The Speaker took the Chair at 2 p.m.

Prayers.

Motions

Christchurch Mosques Terror Attacks—Condolence

Hon KELVIN DAVIS (Minister of Corrections): I move, That this House express its sorrow to the victims, families, and communities of the terrorist attack on the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, promise to protect Muslim New Zealanders and their right to be safe from fear, assert that they are us, and acknowledge the effect of the tragedy on the whole of New Zealand.

Assalamo alaikum. E tika ana i te tuatahi kia huri ki tō tātou reo rangatira kia tuku atu ō mātou poroporoaki ki a rātou kua tangohia e te ringa kaha o aituā. Nā reira e ngā tini mate kua hinga atu i tērā Paraire, haere, haere, haere atu rā.

Ko rātou ki a rātou, ko tātou ngā kanohi ora huri rauna i Te Whare nei, i te motu nei, tēnā tātou katoa.

[It is fitting in the first instance that I engage our senior language to properly farewell those who have been cruelly cut down by the Grim Reaper. Therefore, to you who were taken last Friday, I bid you a sincere and heartfelt farewell.

Let us now leave them in the realm of the recently passed and return to the faces of the living here in this House, indeed around this country, as we formally acknowledge one another.]

The 15th of March is New Zealand’s day of infamy. We experienced an unprecedented act of violence, hatred, and sheer evil that will be carried in the hearts and minds of New Zealanders for ever. As the Prime Minister has said, this act of terrorism committed by an individual spreading a message of hate is not who we are.

To the families and friends of those who lost their lives, to the Muslim and wider community, and to all who have been affected by this, as we say in Māori, ehara i te mea ko “koutou”, ko “rātou” engari ko “tātou” [it is not about “you” or “them”. It is all about “us”]. It’s about all of us, together. Your loss is our loss. We all grieve with you.

A week is yet to pass since the attack on New Zealand. We still stand in the long shadow cast by our darkest day. To emerge into the world of light, kia puta i te ao pōuri, ki te whaiao, ki te ao mārama [that we might emerge strongly from a place of dark despair towards a world of joyous enlightenment], as we say in Māori, we must follow a path opposite to the one the terrorist wished us to follow and, instead, go down a pathway of empathy, compassion, and love, tētahi ki tētahi—to one another.

It would be easy to talk of leadership based on empathy, love, and compassion as soft and weak and fluffy, but in the last few days we have seen the opposite to be true. Love and compassion have been the most prevalent leadership traits demonstrated at our highest level, and it has been proven that those traits are able to coexist alongside clarity of thought, decisiveness, and steely resolve. If we men are to be honest, the leadership our country has seen since 15 March—that is, love, compassion, and empathy, alongside decisiveness and resolve—is the mix of leadership qualities best demonstrated on a day-to-day basis by mothers around the world. We can learn from this.

Many of those taken from us are from our refugee and migrant communities. Christchurch was their home. They are us, but the individual who carried out this act of terror is not.

I want to share some words that stuck out for me when I was in Christchurch with the Prime Minister’s delegation the day after our darkest of days. These are the words of the Ngāi Tahu rangatira Matiaha Tiramōrehu written in a letter he sent Queen Victoria in 1857. These words are now etched on the glass windows of the Christchurch City Council. They are powerful words, speaking of love, justice, spirituality, safety and security, equality, and peace. They were written 150 years ago, in a bilingual context, and they are equally as relevant to our multicultural New Zealand of today.

Matiaha Tiramōrehu said—translated from Māori—“This was the command thy love laid upon these Governors. That the law be made one, that the commandments be made one, that the nation be made one, that the white skin be made just as equal with the dark skin. And to lay down the love of thy graciousness to the [people] that they dwell happily and that all men might enjoy a peaceful life”. I think these words serve as a poignant message now—a message from the city of Christchurch to itself—a message from our past to our present that in these sad times, the community has come together to embrace one another, to show strength, to defy hatred and racism, and to mourn and show unity with our Muslim brothers and sisters; indeed, that all New Zealanders have drawn closer together in the face of this assault on the values we hold dear: community, tolerance, and compassion; and that the New Zealand of more than 200 ethnicities and 160 languages utterly rejects the values and ideologies behind last Friday’s attack.

I must commend the dignified response Ngāi Tahu has shown in the days following this tragedy. I believe some of their staff are Muslim and were directly impacted by the attack. Ngāi Tahu’s wishes were twofold: one, to dignify the dead and, two, to support the living in whatever way they are required. As we walk out from the darkness of the shadow of last Friday’s events towards the light, we must walk together as New Zealanders, acknowledging, embracing, and celebrating our differences, but still New Zealanders all the same, so that we are one and they are us.

Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam): I rise to support the motion that is before the House.

There are no more words to be read into the record of this House to express the shock, grief, despair, and anger over the attacks of last Friday and the deep warmth, love, and care for the families so profoundly affected. An often-asked question in Christchurch is “Where were you at 12.51 p.m. on 22 February 2011?” It may well now be “Where were you at 1.45 p.m. on 15 March 2019?” I was moving between constituency appointments in Ilam, and initial reports were somewhat sketchy. I must say, when I first heard them, I thought “That’s something that will be rapidly taken care of.” but had no concept of how big the event was.

So walking along a footpath in Merivale, I was surprised when a group of women raced up and asked what I knew about what was going on. Their children had texted them—they were in lockdown in their schools and they were frightened, as I’m sure many people in other workplaces that were also in lockdown were, not fully knowing what was going on.

On Monday of this week I visited 16 schools in my electorate and was surprised to learn just how many families have been directly affected by the events of last Friday—families that have lost grandfathers, fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, and close family friends, and so many children who have lost their fathers.

I want to thank the school staff for the way they handled the lockdown and cared for the children, because I also heard some harrowing stories that I really can’t repeat in the House this afternoon and know what some of those families are going to have to face. So whatever I can do to help, I’ve offered, and I know that whatever MPs in Christchurch and throughout the country can do is on offer. Our doors will be open, because the needs of these families are going to be considerable. They are not the only ones affected—the wider community is going to continue to need a lot of support for a longer period of time.

If I may, for a minute, contrast it to the earthquakes, where there was a geological event that people could understand. They didn’t like it, they didn’t appreciate it, they didn’t want it, and they wanted a lot of action to flow from it. But in this case no one can understand this. No one can understand that there is a way to stop this particularly, or that it could have been stopped, and so that threat to people is very alive and, in Christchurch City, very palpable.

I also on that day spoke to a woman whose husband had lost an uncle and a cousin. He’s a nurse, and he was very quickly back on duty, setting aside his own grief and despair because he was needed. And I’m sure that there are many other medical staff and, among the first responders, people who fit into that category. There’s been a lot said about how we’ve changed. The example of the nurse I mentioned, of the first responders, and the extraordinary care from communities—the outpouring of grief and expression of love across New Zealand and in our city—tells me that we should not despair too much and that we have not changed that much. But I think we have become more aware of our own actions, our own omissions, and our own oversights and aware too that they are more pronounced at the more unattractive edge of what is us. We should not engage, as I said, in self-doubt, though, but recognise that small change in each of us can make a big difference.

I’ve not extensively engaged with the Muslim community—not through neglect, not through any particular reason, but more from my strong belief that the freedom in this country to be who you are and to lawfully go about your daily life unimpeded is exactly what everyone should be able to expect. This belief, I know, will be challenged as the inevitable legislation changes to our security laws and gun laws come before this House. All our security services work within the law which applies to them. They are overseen by an inspector-general, but the inspector-general must recognise that the flexibility of black-letter law interpretation is a necessity in an exceptional time like this. To pretend otherwise when we have a high-security alert would be a mistake.

In closing, on Saturday morning, going back to my car close to the hospital, I noticed a young man in his 20s accompanied by an older woman. They’d parked and they were walking towards the hospital. Ordinarily, you wouldn’t think much about that, but I became aware that they were very clearly Muslim. So I stopped to say, simply, sorry. I didn’t know what I was going to say. But I think the young man sensed that I was a little emotional. I was emotional when they were clearly going to see if not a close relative then a close friend in the hospital. He said, “Don’t worry. This is not New Zealand. We are New Zealanders. Don’t worry. This is not New Zealand.” And I think that also indicates that perhaps we aren’t as changed as some might think.

I don’t know who they were visiting. I don’t know what their losses were. But I found it extraordinary that in that moment they chose to offer comfort to me. I hope this Friday Al Noor Mosque, which is close to my electorate, or the Linwood mosque, or the Leacroft Street mosque, which is in my electorate, will be open for prayer. I don’t worship as a Muslim—I’m not a Muslim—but, if it’s at all possible, I will join others on Friday alongside the adherents of the Islamic faith to express the right which the martyrs of Friday the 15th gave their life for.

FLETCHER TABUTEAU (Deputy Leader—NZ First): Assalamo alaikum, tēnā koutou, and kia ora, Mr Speaker. On Friday, 15 March, this country witnessed the worst terrorist attack, and so New Zealand is still in a state of shock and it grieves. What has been so heartening to see and experience is the outpouring of love and inclusiveness on an unprecedented scale in response to this day that has changed us. As the Prime Minister rightly said, Friday, 15 March was one of the darkest days in New Zealand history. In reply, I quote from the imam who spoke in this very House yesterday: “Oh Lord, make this day a source of light for this country and the entire world—the light which unites us all as one family.”

This terrorist act was an obscene one perpetrated against innocent Kiwi worshippers peacefully observing their beliefs. This sickening act of terrorism imported into Christchurch was the work of a coward whom we reject. Those worshippers who lost their lives were Kiwis. They are us, and, because they are us, as a nation, we mourn them.

To the families of those who were taken so violently from this world, your loved ones are martyrs now. But to you, the families, we will walk with you. As the Prime Minister has said, our focus is on supporting you and ensuring your needs are met. To those still with us, recovering in hospital, and the eight still struggling, still battling, for their lives, we say kia kaha. All of you are in our thoughts and our prayers. We will walk with you in your recovery and beyond.

We reject this terrorist’s objectives—this someone, a coward from beyond our shores who sought to terrorise us and tear us apart. He has clearly failed in this objective. He failed because, as the Deputy Prime Minister said, violent extremism, whatever its origin, form, or creed is utterly rejected by New Zealanders. In fact, New Zealand has come closer together in response to this day that has changed us. New Zealanders are already defining that change now, and it is, for us, one of strength, resilience, and community. There has been no fear and panic in the streets. We have always been a tolerant country, and now, more than that, we have come closer together and are stronger for it. The people of Christchurch will stay in our thoughts as they reclaim their city and show the world just how amazingly strong and resilient they are.

To the bystanders on the day who made us all proud, even if it was only to hold a hand; to the courageous police men and women, all; to the emergency service responders; to the teachers, who I know sat with their children, trying to fill their students’ unusually long day with fun activities to keep them engaged when the teachers themselves knew only too well what was happening in their city—we acknowledge and we thank you all.

I choose to close with the words of Emily and Mohabat Khan Malak, who, when I spoke to them this morning, have summed up the thinking of our Rotorua Muslim community. They said, “We are thankful to the Prime Minister and how she has handled this whole situation, her clear respect for the Muslim community. To the police and emergency services in Christchurch, thank you all. To everyone in New Zealand who has come forward in love, thank you. Let us celebrate this newfound unity and ensure that we keep it strong as we move forward.” I think they best encapsulated it when they said, “It all comes down to making sure that we can give one another a hug.” Arohanui and love. Kia ora, Mr Speaker.

GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN (Green): Assalamo alaikum. Our nation’s heart is broken and my heart is broken today. Five days on, as that wound is still so fresh, we find comfort in all the love—all the love—pouring across this beautiful country. I’ve felt the grief as a member of that affected community and as a Kiwi as we gathered at mosques, as we held each other at vigils, and as we held our little ones a little tighter when we remembered that little three-year-old Mucad Ibrahim was one of the victims.

The city of Dunedin ran out of flowers on Saturday because they were all at the mosques. That is the New Zealand that welcomed my family and me here when we escaped oppression. At the risk of torture, we had lived through a war, and I will never forget being that nine-year-old girl on the escalator at Auckland Airport with my frightened parents. We weren’t turned back. We were welcomed here. So I want to thank every single New Zealander—hundreds of thousands of people—who came out over the last three days, who stood on the right side of history for our values of inclusion and love. It matters to our communities, as we are frightened, and I will never forget that among the victims on Friday was a Syrian family—refugees, like my family, who had escaped the harrowing war, the unthinkable. They found freedom here, but they died on Friday in Christchurch, New Zealand.

We owe those victims the truth: this was terrorism. It was terrorism committed by a white supremacist. It was planned at length and had gone unchecked by authorities because white supremacy was not seen as a pressing threat, even as some in the Muslim community were.

Although this man happened to have not been born in New Zealand, we do need to acknowledge the truth that his ideology does exist in pockets here. Our ethnic communities, refugees, and tangata whenua have been telling us this for years—they’ve been reporting this for years. I know it as my daily truth as a politician. I receive all the barrage of hate online. I receive the threats—the death threats, the rape threats, and the threats of gun violence, online. Every minority in New Zealand knows this as a little bit of our truth. So now we have to pause and listen.

We can’t pretend that this was an aberration from overseas. That would be irresponsible. The truth is that this happened here, and it began with hate speech allowed to grow online. History has taught us that hate speech is a slippery slope to atrocity, and New Zealand must address that now.

The truth is, also, that we as politicians bear a little bit of the responsibility. There sit among us those who for years have fanned the flames of division, who have blamed migrants for the housing crisis. There sit among us those who have fanned the hysteria around the UN Global Compact for Migration. Those words were written on the butt of his gun, the gun that killed little Mucad. We have pandered to gratuitous racism by shock jocks to raise our profile. None of us are directly responsible for what happened on Friday. We are all horrified, but we are also on notice now: we have to change the way we do politics.

Our most vulnerable communities are hurt and we are scared. White supremacists want us dead. Those incredible people who poured out into those vigils are watching; they will hold us to account. The world is watching. We have to get this right. We have to demonstrate to the rest of the world that the values of love and peace and compassion will win over hate and division. We must be brave and have those important, difficult conversations that are long overdue in our country. We must shine a light on the pockets, those shadows of racism that do exist in our country. We must weave that incredible outpouring of love for our Muslim communities that we’ve seen over the past few days—we have to weave that into an enduring fabric of our society. We owe that to the families who lost loved ones. We owe it to little Mucad.

Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, aroha atu, aroha mai, tātou i a tātou katoa.

[May the calm be widespread, may the sea be smooth like greenstone, may we love each other, as we ought to.]

Hon AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn): Assalamo alaikum. In the more than 10 years that I’ve been speaking in this House, I’ve found this speech one of the hardest to know what to say. At about 20 to 2 last Friday, I think the innocence of all of us was shattered. Our comfortable naivety and our easy sense of safety was ripped away. I think we were all shocked when we heard the news. For me, it was a call from my daughter, checking where I was and if I was OK. But, as the afternoon went on, that shock turned into utter disbelief and devastation.

I think then, and since then, there have been two questions that we just cannot get out of our minds. The first is: how did this happen? The second is: how do we make sure that it never, ever happens again? Those two questions are with me every hour that I’m awake since those events.

We have to remember, of course, that at the heart of the tragedy that we’re talking about, and as we reflect on how it’s affected everyone in New Zealand, there are a huge number of victims. Of course there are the 50 dead and the 48 injured but also the many, many more who have had their lives ripped apart, who have lost family and loved ones, and who have seen things and have experienced things that no one should ever experience. The stories, the images they describe, are heartbreaking, and those of us who have had the privilege of speaking with some of them since Friday would tell you that their grief is utterly palpable. But what’s amazed me, as other members have talked about, is their unbelievable graciousness. The warmth, the welcome, and the gratitude they express I think speaks more about the Muslim community than any of the vicious nastiness we might have seen in times gone by. I’ve got to say the response of everyone across New Zealand has brought incredible light to what have been very, very dark days.

If this was an attack aimed at creating division, it has failed. If this was an attack about triggering hatred, it has failed. New Zealand has responded from coast to coast, from Bluff to Cape Reinga, with love, with peace, and with inclusion. I know it’s been said before, but last Friday is not who we are. We are and we must be a country of open minds and open hearts to all of our people regardless of whether or not they were born here or whether they have chosen to call New Zealand their home and regardless of what, how, who, or where they choose to worship.

New Zealand has long been seen internationally as unique, and, until now, that uniqueness has included our seeming immunity from acts of terrorism. But I absolutely believe that our response to last Friday’s events will show our uniqueness once more, as this tragedy will bring us closer together and make us stronger as a nation together.

I just want to make mention also of all of the police and ambulance staff in Canterbury. They are our heroes. I particularly want to acknowledge and commend the two Selwyn police officers who saved us all from further grief and more loss. We don’t yet know the full details of what the assailant had planned, but we know that thanks to the bravery of our first responders, horrific as it is, it’s not as bad as it might have been. We will be for ever grateful to them.

I want to end, though, again with the victims. Like others in this House, I have been privileged to spend time with them since the attack. I want to assure them that this whole nation welcomes them. They are New Zealanders. What happened on Friday is not.

Rt Hon DAVID CARTER (National): While the whole of Christchurch grieves—while, in fact, the whole of New Zealand grieves—I want to particularly acknowledge those who lost their loved ones last Friday. I didn’t know any of the 50 victims personally—something that is a bit unusual for a city the size of Christchurch, my home town—but I knew of many of them and I knew of their genuine, positive contribution to our community. The grieving of the families will be profound. It will hurt the hearts of those for ever, and I extend my deepest sympathy.

As we collectively cope with the aftermath of the slaughter—for that is what it was: it was needless slaughter—as we cope with that, what has absolutely amazed me has been the strength of the Muslim community and the forgiveness of the Muslim community. Take Farid Ahmed, quoted in the media on Monday. He escaped the Deans Avenue mosque, but his wife, Husna, did not. She was murdered, and yet Farid Ahmed said, in reference to the killer—and I quote—“I have forgiven him, and I’m praying for him that God will guide him, and one day he will be a saviour, rather than a killer.” What an incredibly forgiving statement for any man to say after losing his wife to a murderer.

I was in Christchurch on Friday afternoon, with you, Mr Speaker. As the events unfolded we were at Canterbury University, which was quickly locked down, as indeed were schools—where my child was—factories, and the offices throughout the city. It was the uncertainty of not knowing whether it was a single gunman or whether we were dealing with multiple attacks that was extremely concerning to me. When we’re told subsequently of the way this murderer planned and trained for this day of terror, I do ask why the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service and the GCSB were so unaware. Should this terrorist have been on a security watch list? I think the answer to that is yes. The Hon Gerry Brownlee yesterday called for a royal commission of inquiry into this, and I agree with him.

The final point I wish to make is to disagree, respectfully, with those who say, “On Friday, 15 March 2019, New Zealand changed for ever”. I think the world and New Zealand changed for ever with 9/11, 2001. Sadly, I think there was an inevitability that terrorism would hit New Zealand. It was only a matter of when. But I never thought it would be my home city, the city of Christchurch—the city that has been through so much, the city that was finally coming right, and now we have to cope with this. But we are resilient. We will overcome this dreadful act of terror.

But, again, for the families of the loved ones, this pain will not be overcome. They have been given a life sentence as their family members were on their knees, praying for a better world. My deepest sympathy to these people. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon JENNY SALESA (Minister for Ethnic Communities): Assalamo alaikum. Last Friday, 15 March, is a day that will be remembered in Aotearoa New Zealand as one of our darkest days. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge all of those who have lost loved ones, and their families. Allah yarham mawtaakum—may Allah have mercy on those who have passed away. I would like to extend to you my sincerest condolences. Arohanui, ki a koutou katoa, whānau.

It’s been immensely moving to see the outpouring of love and compassion right across New Zealand, from right here in Wellington last night, in Māngere in South Auckland, and right across Aotearoa. We are all standing in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters at this time. I’d also like to acknowledge that we are truly blessed to have an excellent leader the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, our Prime Minister, because, in responding to this huge tragedy, she has indeed shown leadership in what we New Zealanders value and what we in New Zealand find as most important. She has shown aroha, she has shown compassion, and she has shown leadership in ensuring that we combat hatred with love—showing so many of these qualities that make us who we are as New Zealanders.

I’m truly grateful to our first responders—and it’s been mentioned earlier on—and I’d like to, first of all, thank our police and, especially, the two country policemen who stopped the terrorist in his tracks. I’d also like to acknowledge and thank the Deputy Commissioner of Police and the many policemen in his team who are currently on the ground in Christchurch. They’re doing a tremendous job. I’d also like to say thank you to the Canterbury District Health Board, in particular the chief executive and all of the health professionals who are still taking care of those who are injured. They too are doing a huge amount of work. They’ve also put aside rooms so that the police from the hospital can be based right there and so that our families don’t have to go from point A to point B.

I’ve been in Christchurch a couple of times as Minister for Ethnic Communities, and I’ve got to say that yesterday, when I was spending time with leaders of our Muslim community, imams, one of the imams that was there was Sheikh Gamal, the imam from Deans Avenue. You could see and you could hear as he spoke, and you could see in his eyes, that he is hurting. He also expressed that his whole community is hurting. I did express that the whole country is grieving with him and everyone that he had lost. One of the things that he said to me is that his mother has been in contact, asking him to leave this country, but he said, “No. This is my country. Aotearoa New Zealand is my country and I am not moving anywhere.”

Government agencies are working hard to mobilise resources to be able to respond to the needs of our communities in dealing with their loss. As we come to grips with the aftermath of this horrific event, one question that I hear asked repeatedly is: “How have we come to this?” Another question that’s been posed is: “What are we, as a country, doing about this?” Responding to the Christchurch terror attack has highlighted the need for Government agencies to work more closely together and to become responsive to the needs of our ethnically diverse communities. We have over 200 across Aotearoa. While Government can and will provide the resources and support required, the responses that we need must be guided by our ethnic communities to ensure that the solutions are fit for purpose and that they are long lasting and enduring. Solutions should also focus on longer term and sustainable gains that will benefit our Muslim community in Christchurch as well as, more broadly, our ethnic communities across New Zealand. We may not have all the answers at hand, but when we listen to our communities and we work together, we will be a step closer to achieving meaningful and enduring change.

To my Muslim brothers and sisters, arohanui ki a koutou katoa. We mourn with you. Our love and unity is stronger than all else. We are family, whānau. We are all New Zealanders.

As we grieve for the lives of the 50 that we’ve lost, I’d like to remind everyone in this House that tomorrow is Race Relations Day. The theme is “Our people, our cultures, our languages.” The important word here is “our”. Tēnā koutou katoa. Assalamo alaikum.

MATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri): I rise on behalf of the people of Waimakariri to condemn the horrific shootings on Friday at the Al Noor Mosque in Deans Avenue and the Linwood mosque; to grieve for the 50 people who lost their lives that day, including a resident of Waimakariri; and to grieve for the young children at the school who have lost their grandfather. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, the families, the friends, the Muslim community, fellow Cantabrians, and the wider New Zealand community. Let us be very clear. This was not an attack on a small group of people in Christchurch; this was an attack on all of New Zealand—on all New Zealanders.

I took my young kids to the memorial at the botanical gardens—aged five and three. What do you tell them? They asked us what we were doing, and my wife and I said it was about people who hadn’t respected each other. So we asked them to draw a picture of what respect would look like, and they drew a picture of people hugging each other and of love hearts. So we lay those pictures, and what a confronting memorial that was. The flowers, the messages, and the toys are something that will last with me for ever.

I want to pay our respects to our emergency services. It was not only on Friday that those guys got up—and girls—but they went in again on Saturday and Sunday. We owe them a lot. I do urge the Government, Government agencies, and other agencies who can do so to speed up the release of any bodies that haven’t been released to date back to their families, so they can have a timely burial.

I personally believe there are too many guns in New Zealand. We need to reduce the amount of guns in circulation. I don’t understand why we have military-style weapons. I don’t understand why we need semi-automatics.

Mr Speaker, I was actually with you, on Friday, and Will, our parliamentary educationalist, who’s up in the gallery with a class of schoolkids today. We were actually at the Linwood primary school on a Speaker-led trip, close to the mosque, in the morning, and then we went to the university. For me, it had an eerie similarity, because I have been in a lockdown for terrorism before. I lived in London for the 2005 tube bombings as a young New Zealander on their OE.

What was confronting for the British that day, for all their rhetoric that terrorists would be coming in from outside the country, was that they were home-grown bombers and, like we are confronted with on Friday, these were not people that had come from the Middle East or North Africa. This terrorist did not look like he had come from the Middle East or North Africa. This terrorist did not sound like he had come from the Middle East or North Africa. He was white, he was Caucasian. He spoke English and grew up not far from here.

I do urge the Government—we’ve had threats of retaliation today—to ensure that our security services are well-resourced and focused, to keep all New Zealanders safe going forward, no matter what their religion, what their race, or who they are.

I’d like to finish with a quote from Nelson Mandela: “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedoms of others.” Thank you.

Hon RUTH DYSON (Labour—Port Hills): Assalamo alaikum, peace be with you. Can I begin by—without bringing you, Mr Speaker, into the debate, I want to genuinely commend our presiding officers for instigating the prayer session that opened our Parliament yesterday. It was so powerful, so moving, so thoughtful, and such a message from the whole of our Parliament to the world, and I want to acknowledge all the presiding officers for their role in that.

To all of those who were at our two mosques last Friday, to the injured, and to the families and friends of those who died, the love and support of New Zealand is here for you. There has been such a spontaneous and huge outpouring of grief from people who just want to stand beside those who are hurting so much. As you grieve, so do we all. To the first responders—and I know my colleague the Hon Amy Adams has already acknowledged her constituents from the Lincoln police—I want to join in her commendation of them. They literally risked their own lives to save others. I can just imagine two young men being praised in this Parliament, and they’d shrug their shoulders and they would say, “Well, we were just doing our job”, because that’s what New Zealanders say when they’re praised. They were just doing their job. They saved lives, and from all of this Parliament, I want to thank them.

To the ambulance teams: no matter how highly trained they are—and they are highly trained—no one should have to go through what they went through on Friday afternoon. They have our admiration and our love and our support, and they will need it for a long time. To David Meates, the hospital staff, and all those who work in our health system: they are still working, under extraordinary pressure, with extraordinary care and passion and professionalism. We are very fortunate to have them.

To John Price, our district commander, and our police: they make us feel safe. They’ve done a huge amount of work—so not just the two Lincoln police, but our entire police force, joined by many police from throughout the country. I was at a community meeting on Monday, and one of the people in the room said that they felt uncomfortable with armed police and said to the young Muslim representatives “How do you feel about armed police guarding the mosques and being around where you are?”, and they just went “Makes us safe.” So thank you to the police for that. We all feel unusual, uncomfortable, about armed police, but there are times when it’s needed to make us safe. To the defence personnel who have joined them, thank you.

To our principals and teachers and school staff who on Friday afternoon did as they always do and put their school students first and kept them in lockdown till after six: they looked after our children and their families. The Ministry of Education looked after our schools, and I want to thank them as well.

To ACC, Work and Income, the Ministry of Health, Immigration New Zealand, and our community organisations who are on the ground now providing support for our families to help them navigate the systems—they’re hard, but that support will be there, and we’ve got agencies on the ground making sure that we can do it.

To the thousands and thousands of New Zealanders who have cooked, who have donated, who have left messages, and, as Matt Doocey said, who have left flowers and tributes—extraordinary. I felt as sad as Matt did, but I felt uplifted because people care in our country. Only light can conquer darkness; only love can conquer hate. These are hard times for us all. So I say to people around the country who are feeling the pain and the grief: look after yourself, because your well-being is important to so many, and look after each other. Parliament’s not regarded as a caring place, but I’m going to hug Matt Doocey, because he deserves to be cared for. He might be a bit scared of that. We have to look after each other. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon JUDITH COLLINS (National—Papakura): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise to speak as the MP for Papakura but also as a former Minister for Ethnic Communities in two terms of Government and also as a former Minister of Police in two terms of Government. I think I speak for us when I say that we are profoundly sad. We’ve heard some excellent contributions this afternoon. We have heard MPs speak about their personal experience with their constituents, with the Canterbury-based MPs speaking about what they have seen so far, and I know that some of our Canterbury-based MPs will not be here today because they are with their constituents.

I would like to thank the Prime Minister for the work she did on Saturday. I thought it was outstanding. I know there has been unfortunate comment on the internet about the fact that she chose to wear a scarf. I wear a scarf, and I do whenever I enter other people’s places of worship, where that is appropriate. It is a mark of respect, and I thought it was the right thing to do. I would like to thank the Leader of the Opposition for the support that he gave with the Prime Minister and for those who were able to travel with her. I’d like to thank all our MPs, who have worked so hard to put aside all politics and to put the people first. Thank you for what you have done.

I would like to thank our New Zealand Police. Everyone knows how proud I am of New Zealand Police. I could not be more proud. They have saved lives. They have put themselves at risk. They have acted exactly as we expect them to act. I would like to thank our ambulance service in Christchurch. I would like to thank all those who are working now in the hospitals in New Zealand. My colleague Amy Adams just showed me a report that a little three-year-old is now in Starship hospital from Christchurch, struggling to live.

I would like to thank everyone involved, because I know everybody will have been involved, whether it’s someone who’s manning the roadblocks for our defence force, to everybody. I would like to thank other countries for the offers of help they have given us, and we should take them whenever we can, because this is not just about us.

I know that we have too many guns in this country. I know that we have lived in an age of innocence, and that veil of innocence that we’ve had has been very cruelly ripped from our eyes. It has been ripped from our eyes because we now have 50 people dead—50 people dead—and many others in hospital or suffering. None of that is because we decided it was going to happen; it was the act of one person, a person who refers to himself as an eco-fascist—whatever that means. Well, I’ll tell you what I think it means. It means a filthy coward who has taken the lives of innocent people. I grieve with the people of the Islamic religion in New Zealand. I grieve with them as I would with anybody in this situation.

One of the things I know is that Muslim New Zealanders have been with us since 1850. Islam is part of New Zealand, as are all other religions are that are here and those who don’t have religion, because it is something that people have as a belief system and it is part of who they are. We are very lucky in New Zealand that with our 220 ethnicities, we have not had anything like this before. I hope that when we get to the bottom of what could be done in the future to help stop this happening again, we will have a much safer and a much better community from it.

I just want to mention, to finish, that we have a vigil in Papakura, at the Papakura central library, on Friday at 7 p.m. for all those who wish to attend. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon STUART NASH (Minister of Police): Mr Speaker, assalamo alaikum. Today we come together again to mourn the fellow Kiwis who we lost on Friday. We are one. They are us. Peace be upon them and their families and on all New Zealanders. I thank the imam who opened Parliament yesterday with a solemn prayer, and I thank the other faith leaders who joined together with us here on the floor of the House. It was a powerful display of unity and peace.

Today, we officially begin to release the names of those who have fallen. We honour them as martyrs. The first of those men, women, and children have been returned to their families by police, and I pay tribute to the police who have been involved in this part of the process. The task of identifying the dead and reuniting them with their families is gruelling, and I thank all the agencies involved. I also pay tribute to police working on the other side of this process, the criminal investigation.

This is the largest criminal investigation ever undertaken in New Zealand history. It is also one of the worst terror attacks anywhere in the world in recent history. More than 250 officers and support staff are dedicated to the inquiry. There is also significant international support from the FBI, Australian Federal Police (AFP), and other nations. There are 11 officers from the AFP working here, assisting with victim identification, intelligence analysis, and other aspects of the investigation. A team of three specialists from the FBI has travelled here to assist the police high-tech crime unit. The FBI also has three staff based in the US who are dedicated to Operation Deans. An investigator from Facebook has travelled here to work with police’s high-tech crime unit, supported by two dedicated colleagues in the US. In addition, police have received significant assistance from the Australian Federal Police and New South Wales Police on the ground in Australia, and I thank those nations for their assistance.

I also wish to acknowledge the tremendous assistance and support police are receiving from everyday New Zealanders. Our number one priority is to keep New Zealanders safe. Yes, it can be frightening to see armed police on our streets and outside our places of worship and in our railway stations, bus terminals, and airports, but I ask the community to instead take reassurance from this.

We will be making further announcements in coming days about changes to our gun laws to make our country safer. I ask the community to continue to come forward to surrender any firearms, ammunition, or weapons parts which they may have in their possession. Dozens have done this so far, and I expect many more will do. If there is a firearm out there and you’re not legally permitted to have it, or if there is a gun that’s lying around in the garage or the back of the closet, please do the right thing: take it to the nearest police station for safe disposal and stop it from falling into the wrong hands. No names are required, but please take police advice and call the station first.

The Commissioner of Police has confirmed the time line of events on Friday afternoon. I do not want to dwell on the detail of how the terror attack unfolded that afternoon, but I want to pay tribute to the two country cops from Lincoln who performed a supreme act of bravery and, undoubtedly, prevented further bloodshed. The first 111 call was received at 1.41 p.m., and the terrorist was in police custody on the side of Brougham Street at 2.02 p.m.—21 minutes later. The officers did what every police officer is prepared to do to protect the public—they ran towards danger. We are for ever in their debt, and it is an absolute privilege and a pleasure to be their Minister. Thank you.

Hon EUGENIE SAGE (Minister of Conservation): Assalamo alaikum. Everyone here in this House is expressing the deep grief and shock that is being felt across our country. We represent our people when we share the loss and the pain that Friday’s terrorist attack and mass murder caused. My thoughts are with the families and friends of each of the 50 individuals who died and the many others who have been seriously injured, and their brothers and sisters who were in the mosques and survived. I acknowledge each of you and your profound loss.

The fact that we failed to provide individuals and families who chose New Zealand as their home with a safe place to worship is deeply distressing, so it was all the more extraordinary to listen to the Muslim community leaders address the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, and others at the Canterbury refugee resettlement centre on the morning after the attack. The courage, the humility, and the compassion that was in their words was extraordinary.

We can’t change what happened, but the outpouring of love and the coming together in a spirit of shared loss and pain that we have seen around New Zealand and overseas speaks to who we are as New Zealanders. The response has been one of unity, support, and aroha, with thousands coming together to smother hate with love. This shared sadness and aroha creates the strongest basis for working with resolve towards a country where we all feel safe, where we all know that we are valued, and where we are all protected from harm. So I’m pleased that our Government is acting to strengthen our gun control laws to help do that, and, through an inquiry, we’ll be seeking information on the focus and priorities of New Zealand’s intelligence agencies.

This terrorist attack has rocked my city of Ōtautahi—Christchurch—our country, and our world. I don’t have a frame of reference for it, and I’m struggling. The terrain is confusing. It’s complex, as Mr Brownlee noted. It’s raised many troubling issues about the world we live in, but it must increase our efforts to ensure that all our people in our country are protected from violence and aggression in all of its forms, whether it’s written, spoken, or physical.

As we come to terms with this tragedy, there are difficult conversations ahead for Aotearoa, so this is a time to reaffirm our commitment to diversity, to inclusion, to equality, and to peace. It’s a time to acknowledge the extraordinary response of our agencies: the police, the Canterbury district health service, the clinicians, the staff, and the hospitals, but it’s also a time to acknowledge the media for giving individual voices a larger audience, for amplifying the actions of aroha, and for their thoughtfulness in moderating what they share and thinking carefully about how they will report the trial of the murderer.

We can all help by holding on to love and hope, by expanding the circle of those that we know as friends, by connecting with each other, and by our sense of purpose. The effects of this event, like the earthquakes in Christchurch, will take decades to heal. While we go through this, let us be kinder to each other each day, be insightful about what needs to change, and do that together. Ngā mihi nui aroha nui ki a koutou.

DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on behalf of the ACT Party in support of the Deputy Prime Minister’s motion, and thank you to him for that motion.

We must protect and honour the victims, and, as I said in the House yesterday, it is difficult for us—in fact, impossible—to know the pain of those who have been lost and those who have lost. All we can do is commemorate and console and promise, as this motion says, to make sure that it will not happen again and that New Zealanders are safe.

We can reflect on the fact that we are bound together by a common humanity. That common humanity says that each of us has inherent value—that each of us has inalienable rights and duties that are ours. Yesterday, I pointed out that those basic rights and duties are written into this country’s founding document and fleshed out in a much more detailed and deliberate way in our New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. Our founding document says that our treasures are sacred and should be safe. It also says that we all have equal rights. Our bill of rights promises, among other things, freedom to express ourselves, freedom to move, freedom to assemble, and freedom to worship.

Allow me to reflect on those rights and freedoms. Although some of them involve activities that we do as groups, none of them are ascribed to groups. Each of them are ascribed to the individual, because it is the individual New Zealander—each and every one of us—who has the power to think, to express, to assemble, to move, and to do all of the things that are protected as those rights. And we need to ensure that we defy this heinous act of terrorism by refusing to allow that freedom to be eroded.

But we must also recognise that the ideology of the terrorist and those that he perceived to be his enemies are mirror images of each other. They are the idea that we should be able, with enough hate, to dehumanise an individual by ascribing to them the characteristics and values of a group above and beyond who they are. It is that politics of identity that is the handmaiden of hate, and that allows some deranged individuals, in their minds, to justify the types of activities that we have so sadly witnessed in the past week in New Zealand.

We have a duty, in this House and in this country, to recognise the basis of our rights and our common humanity that is in each of us—that is our inherent value as individuals. We have a duty to reject the politics of identity that allows those individuals to be dehumanised and subsumed by the deranged to the values that deranged people ascribe to particular groups. There is occasionally a sad and unwitting irony in the statements of those who, with the best of intentions, seek to defend the rights of those victims but accidentally buy into the same logic that some people can be worth less than others, if only we identify them first and foremost by their group membership and their inherent dignity and inalienable rights as an individual as being secondary.

I’m proud to have led a party in this Parliament that has unapologetically and consistently said that the rights begin with the individual New Zealander, that they are held by all of us, that they are equal, and that they are sacred. I hope that we will carry on, as a country, honouring those rights, because the best way to defy the collective ideology of terror is never to allow it to erode our values as a free society. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): Assalamo alaikum. Peace be with you. The events of 15 March are almost beyond comprehension, though sadly all too real. This was an act of violence and terror, the likes of which none of us could have believed would happen here. This is not who we are. We mourn for those lost—those taken from their loved ones in the most brutal and hateful of ways. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims, with the Muslim community, and with all who have been affected by this. We are one. You are us.

To the families and friends of the victims I met in Dunedin, I echo the words of the Prime Minister. We cannot feel the depth of your grief, but our determination to walk alongside you could not be stronger. I want to thank and acknowledge the bravery and professionalism of our first responders. Like every New Zealander, I watched on Friday as events unfolded with horror. As the Minister of Health, I was in constant contact with those leading and overseeing the trauma response as they worked to ensure that those who clung to life had the greatest chance possible of survival.

Late on Friday night, the district health board (DHB) leadership asked that I travel north from Dunedin to support those on the front line. Of course I did not hesitate. On Saturday, I spent time with a range of health professionals who were involved in the tragic events of the previous day. I spoke with those who received the 111 calls—the first ones from the mosque while the gunshots were still ringing out in the background. I heard from those who coordinated the fleets of ambulances which went backwards and forwards between the mosques and the hospital. I heard from those who triaged patients and from those who provided lifesaving treatment. Can I put on record my thanks to the staff and crew of St John’s, and also to the medical, nursing, and allied health workforce of Canterbury DHB, who did a truly exceptional job in very difficult circumstances and continue to do an exceptional job. We are all very proud of you.

At the ICU in Christchurch Hospital I spoke briefly with the surgeons who were doing their handover. I heard also stories of the bravery of doctors and nurses at Piki Te Ora medical centre, just a few doors down from the mosque in Linwood, who came to the aid of victims before the ambulance staff could get there to attend. In the many conversations I’ve had with our community in Dunedin and indeed with medical professionals, great emphasis has been placed upon the swift return of the deceased to their loved ones for burials. The post-mortems are now complete.

I want to thank the imams. I want to place on record my thanks to the imams and the community leaders who have worked with the bereaved to reassure families that medical, police, and coronial staff understand the cultural expectation of return within 24 hours of those who need to be buried. And I want to record my thanks to those who in that process have worked constructively to ensure the process was expedited and is being expedited. I’m advised that the majority of the deceased will be returned to families this evening. There is a small number that will take a bit longer due to challenges finalising identification. Liaison teams have been working with the families to determine the process by which each of the deceased will be released back to the families. I hope this will provide some solace to the families. But, in truth, they will be living with the consequences of this act of hate and terror for the rest of their lives.

Already, there have been thousands of calls to the 1737 helpline. They’ve brought on extra staff, they’ve got interpreters available, and have worked with the Ministry of Health to provide additional resources in English and Arabic and to provide resources that support mental health. Those resources are available on the ministry’s website also, and I urge anyone who is in distress to please be in touch with the Need to talk? 1737 helpline. Please get the support that you need. There is no question that the need for mental health and psychosocial support will be ongoing in Canterbury, and I thank the other DHBs that have indicated that they stand by ready to assist.

In conclusion, I want to say that the events of 15 March will for ever be part of our nation’s story. But what will define us is how we respond, how we pick up the pieces and move forward. As the inquiries are done, as the House considers law changes, that is as it should be, but just as important is how we respond as individuals and as a community. I think we all have been heartened by the outpouring of love and support that we’re witnessing across Aotearoa. Long may that continue. If that bad day is to have a legacy, let it be one of hope and compassion and tolerance. Let it be one that challenges hate and fear and racism, one that values our diversity while emphasising our common interest. Let our response to terror be a stronger, kinder New Zealand.

Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National): The residents of Dunedin share the shock and horror of the events that took place in its South Island sister city on Friday and stand ready to assist those affected by this terrible tragedy. Nearly 2,000 Dunedinites identify with the Muslim faith, and many hundreds of them were at prayers in Dunedin’s Al Huda Mosque at the time of the events in Christchurch unfolding. Many of the victims had strong links with Dunedin, either through business, as students or academics at Otago University, or with connections with the growing former refugee community in both cities. And it’s those members of our community that will be most struggling to cope with this tragedy. The majority of them have escaped war and conflict, mostly from Syria.

But peace is not only the absence of war; it is the absence of fear, and the faith community of Islam is now in a heightened state of fear here in New Zealand. And while that is the case, we cannot be said to be at peace. We have a duty to provide this country and its communities places to live without fear, and I support the efforts to provide that reassurance and will continue to work with my fellow Dunedin-based colleagues Clare Curran and David Clark to re-establish Dunedin as a place of peace for all its citizens.

The other poignant feature of this for Dunedinites is of course the revelation that the evil-doer lived amongst us—in my case, just three blocks away from my home. He was hiding in plain sight and I agree with previous speeches that he is not us. He is not who we are. But I have been disturbed by the reports of Islamophobic incidents in Dunedin and other places: examples of harassment and attempts to remove headscarves, egging motor vehicles. I know these are very isolated incidents, but in our silence in the face of such prejudice we risk complicity. Every peace-loving New Zealander must call out such casual and ignorant acts of racism and make it clear that those acts—however made—have no place in this country.

As National’s health spokesperson, I also want to record my grateful thanks for our fantastic medical first responders, emergency department staff, surgical teams, ward staff, social workers, mental health professionals, and many others who did such a fine job, and I’m aware that health professionals from Dunedin and elsewhere were on standby. Were it not Christchurch, they would almost certainly have been needed. But chief amongst its many positive traits in that region is the ability to cope with adversity. They knew what to do.

I also want to add my thanks, as a former police Minister, and as one who knows those fantastic men and women of New Zealand Police so well, and my gratitude for their bravery but also their high level of skill in investigating this terrible crime. There will be much to do to make sure a prosecution is locked solid. In Dunedin, of course, there is a crime scene also, and I know that they are working extremely hard, and I want to commend them for that.

But my final comment is one of tremendous gratitude for the grace and dignity shown by Muslim New Zealanders in the face of this attack. They are an example to all Kiwis, and we would do well to follow that example in our daily lives.

Hon TRACEY MARTIN (Minister for Children): Kia ora, Mr Speaker. Peace be upon you. I was sitting in Nelson Airport the day that this event unfolded, and we watched it unfold on breaking news on the big screens. I was sitting across from a young man who was waiting for his flight to return to Christchurch, and I had with me a staff member who has a child in that city. So we watched, as we were sitting there, with other New Zealanders. It was a moment of trying to absorb what was actually happening in our nation. Friday evolved. I went home. We’d been contacted, you know, as members of Government, as members of Parliament. We were kept briefed in our own portfolio areas every so many hours about what was happening. The next day, as the Minister of Internal Affairs, I drove back across the Remutakas to come back to the office on the Saturday morning, and as I drove across the Remutakas, it was just so peaceful, driving across the Remutakas. Again, I struggled with: how do I comprehend what this means inside my life, inside my world, inside my country?

It’s moments like these that we turn to thoughts of our own family, and what if that was our own family that was in the mosque, to try and find a place to grab on to that empathy that we need to make sure that we acknowledge what has happened and the size of what we need to acknowledge. My family is, I would think, a fairly average New Zealand family. It’s made up of New Zealand Pākehā, New Zealand Māori, New Zealand Cook Island Māori, New Zealand Chinese, and the most recent addition to our family is my daughter-in-law, who is a Muslim Iraqi refugee via Syria. It was she that I turned, mostly, my thoughts to—how safe does she feel today as she goes about her life in this nation? So, as you would, I reached out and made sure that she felt safe and loved.

But then the world kept turning, and we saw the response of our nation. That single incident of evil, committed upon us by a person who came here with evil intent, did not define us. In the hours afterwards, New Zealanders stood up; in the moment, there—thinking of the gentleman who is a roadside worker who stood and stayed so that somebody did not die alone. I’m proud of who we are as a nation. I’m proud to stand in this Parliament with the members that are speaking today. I’m proud to be part of a coalition Government behind the leadership of the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, and I’m proud to be behind the leadership of the Rt Hon Winston Peters, who is in this moment offshore, making sure that others understand that this is not a defining incident of New Zealand. This is not us. We are better than this, and every day our citizens currently show it in that way.

I want to acknowledge the staff of Oranga Tamariki (OT). People may not know it, but there are five OT offices in Christchurch, as well as youth justice and care and protection facilities—approximately 650 staff. They immediately contacted all caregivers that have children in care to make sure that the children were safe. For those that were not contactable, Oranga Tamariki staff visited them. Over 500 caregivers were followed up to offer support after this incident. They also reached out to the children who had been removed, to the parents of the children who were with our caregivers, to make sure that their parents knew their children were safe. Oranga Tamariki has also supported three unaccompanied children following the shootings, and, thankfully, these children are now with family.

I also want to talk about the fire and emergency services—personnel across seven stations in Christchurch who assisted with urban search and rescue looking for survivors, and who provided additional medical emergency help. They were also involved in the communications centre. The Department of Internal Affairs staff who spent their whole weekend here in Wellington making sure that death certificates could be processed as quickly as possible when they were needed—they have been behind the scenes working on other things that we talk about.

There is going to need to be another conversation—and I acknowledge my Green Party colleague—with regard to hate speech in this country. There absolutely needs to. We need to get past this immediate part. We need to acknowledge and come back together again. But we absolutely need to address what is going online, and I for one am tired of running behind the internet on this. So when the time is right, we will come together and we will make sure that we take action. But, again, I’m proud to be a New Zealander today, because we are better than this.

Hon MARK MITCHELL (National—Rodney): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Firstly, can I, too, just acknowledge you, Mr Speaker, in making sure that yesterday you made the best efforts in having every denomination and every religion represented with us in this House. Especially, can I thank Imam Nizam ul haq Thanvi. I spent 10 years in the Middle East, and during that time I got very used to hearing the call to prayer. I have to say that having him in this House yesterday, showing us the grace, the compassion, the strength that he has, and just hearing him reciting the prayer, actually gave me a great deal, a real sense, of comfort. So I want to thank and acknowledge you for that.

I do want to acknowledge our Muslim community in Christchurch. I think the Prime Minister said it best, yesterday, when she said, “We can’t truly understand the pain that you’re going through.” But I hope that they feel that we’re right alongside them and our presence is constant and there with them in the coming days as they continue to grieve, and they’ll receive that support from us.

Can I acknowledge our first responders. This is very important. Amy Adams—the two police officers from Selwyn, we know that they deserve the highest recognition that we can give them for the bravery, for the professionalism, and for the self-sacrifice that they made to make sure that this person was not capable of actually wreaking more harm and havoc on our community. But I want to acknowledge the rest of the first responders too. I want to acknowledge our police, our fire service, our paramedics, and our New Zealand Defence Force personnel that deployed, as well, because in the chaos of those initial hours, we didn’t know whether there was another active shooter, we didn’t really have a clear idea what the threat was; and yet, every single one of those first responders was still out there on the ground putting themselves at risk to protect the community, still not understanding or knowing the true nature of the threat. So I really want to acknowledge them and thank them, and I think every single one of them is a hero and deserves our recognition.

I also want to acknowledge the staff, the doctors, the nurses, and the medical personnel that fought hard to keep the people alive that were arriving in mass numbers with terrible gunshot wounds. I can only just imagine what that scene would have been like. I want to acknowledge them and let them know that we’re there for them as well.

Although our focus should be on the people of Christchurch at the moment, the reality of it is that this attack has affected Kiwis all over the country. I know that in my own electorate, I’ve had people come forward. I just want to quickly acknowledge my electorate of Rodney. I want to acknowledge Ōrewa College; 2,500 students turned out for—I don’t know if people have seen it—the “Kia Kaha” message. Matakana Primary School, this Friday at 1 p.m., has got the “Hands of Hope”. I’m going up there myself. The community’s going to turn out just to hold hands, because they want to send a message of love, they want to remind people that that’s what we’re about as a country. I want to thank all the people that came forward and said, “Our homes are open,”—these are people in my electorate, so on the other end of the country, north of Auckland—“our baches are available, we will do whatever we need to do for our people in Christchurch. If they need some relief, if they need to get out, we’re there for them.”

On the Friday night, through Facebook—through Messenger—I had a complete feeling of helplessness because I had people messaging me all night saying, “We’re terrified. The doors are locked. The curtains are pulled. We can hear helicopters in the air and we can hear sirens on the street.” They were utterly terrified. The reality of it is, even if they weren’t directly affected by the attack, if they were locked down, if they were stuck in their homes, or if they hadn’t been reunited with their loved ones, this is going to have a big psychological toll. I was very pleased to hear the Minister of Health restate that there’s going to be resources and help put in place. If you look around the world, this is fundamentally important now in terms of what we do.

I just want to finish, very quickly, with my own statement. I spent 10 years overseas, in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Sudan, working to disrupt and prevent terrorist attacks on civilian populations. I can tell you now I’ve seen evil acts by men in the name of just about every religion. But what they do is they take that religion and they twist and corrupt it for their own hateful view of the world. We are a peace-loving nation, and now it’s up to us as a Parliament to work hard together to ensure that this type of twisted hate can’t be allowed to arrive and ferment on our shores again. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon JAMES SHAW (Minister for Climate Change): Assalamo alaikum. On Saturday, I accompanied the Prime Minister to Christchurch. The moment that affected me most was our visit to the makeshift community centre at a Hagley Park school where many hundreds of bereaved and grieving family members had gathered. When the Prime Minister said to those families in her remarks yesterday that “We cannot know your grief”, she spoke for me also. I have no words to describe the quantum of grief that was present in that school hall. The breadth and the depth of the pain and the loss are simply unimaginable to me. All I can do—as the Prime Minister also said yesterday—is to offer to walk with you at every stage.

So I want to say to those families that you are in our hearts and in our thoughts. We stand with you in love and support. We also stand with you in defiance of this act of senseless and cowardly violence where a deluded mass murderer thinks that he’s proven himself in some way by taking the lives of innocent children and defenceless people at worship. All that has been proven is that he and his evil philosophy do not belong here. We, as New Zealanders, stand with our Muslim friends, who do belong here. This will not divide us. We will honour those who have been taken from us.

The attacks are motivated by racism and by hate and by fear of people’s differences. Some may judge us as a nation by this hateful act. New Zealand Muslim leader Dr Anwar Ghani says that he believes that we will come out of this stronger together and create a legacy that will be an example to the rest of the world. Dr Ghani believes that we can be a better nation and a better people. Yesterday, historian Dame Anne Salmond called out all forms of hatred, contempt, injustice, and inequality and called on all of us to challenge that dark underbelly wherever we see it. She said we need to find better ways of being Kiwi.

It was only a few years ago that the children of Somalian refugees were beaten with baseball bats in Berhampore. Jewish synagogues and cemeteries have been attacked a number of times, and still face that threat today. Indian dairy owners report that the people who rob them often lace their language with racist slurs.

The party that Marama Davidson and I lead holds the practice of non-violence as one of our core charter values, and the practice of non-violence is not just the absence of physical violence; the practice of non-violence is to uphold and to enhance the humanity and the dignity of those who are different from ourselves. It is not merely tolerance; it is inclusion. So when our Muslim sisters and brothers, our refugee and our migrant communities can feel not just safe from physical violence and verbal abuse, when they can say not just that they live here but that this is their home, when they can say not just that they are not discriminated against any longer but that they are loved—not just tolerated but included—then we will be a better country, and we will have found better ways of being Kiwi. And, on that day, we will have defeated not just this terrorist who came to our shores to commit Friday’s act of mass murder but also all of his ilk.

The Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr said that non-violence is a powerful and just weapon. Indeed, it is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the person who wields it. Let the tragedy of Christchurch never be forgotten. Let its legacy be the call to stand for peace and love and inclusion. Nō reira e tū ana mō te rangimārie me te atawhai. Kia kaha.

[Therefore, I stand for peace and kindness. Take heart.]

CHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South): Salaam alaikum. One of my favourite songs is “Corduroy” by Pearl Jam, particularly the line: “Everything has changed. Absolutely nothing’s changed.” Those aren’t the actual lyrics, by the way, but they’re the lyrics for me. I’ve been listening to that song a lot since Friday. Everything has changed in New Zealand, yet absolutely nothing’s changed. Hatred in a form we have never known came to our shores—50 people were massacred in the most horrible way imaginable—yet our police showed enormous courage under fire and pressure. Absolutely nothing has changed.

On Friday evening, I went up to the mosque in Taita, in Lower Hutt. I probably shouldn’t have, but it felt like the right thing to do. There were already, at 6.10 p.m., two bunches of flowers there; I laid the third. And there were two police cars with fully armed police. Everything has changed.

On Saturday morning, I went to the Riverbank Market in Lower Hutt, and my friend Khalid was there selling flowers.

He came to New Zealand in 2016 as a refugee from Syria, and he’s transformed his Housing New Zealand house in Epuni into a market garden. That’s what he used to do in Syria. He’s been selling flowers, and I’ve come to know him. And we hugged. What do you say? What do you say? I didn’t know. He said to me, “New Zealand was meant to be safe.” And what do you say in response to that? Opposite him—opposite his little stall—was a Christian group promoting the Bible. People were milling about listening to music, buying groceries, buying coffee. It was a very Lower Hutt, very New Zealand scene. That’s the New Zealand I love, and the New Zealand we are. In that sense, absolutely nothing’s changed.

On Saturday afternoon, I visited the mosque. Again, it just felt like the right thing to do, and the gentleman outside said to me, “Hey, brother”—hey, brother. In recent days, I’ve been reflecting on that moment as we now know about the poignancy of those words. He gave me a date, and we shared a date together. As we were talking and I was expressing my condolences, the King Cobras turned up in a big van. They bounced out of the van with a big bunch of flowers and handed them over to some representatives from the mosque, and then a gentleman from the King Cobras came out with six big bags of food from Countdown, and he said, “Do you guys eat beef? We just want to make sure we’ve got the right meat. So here’s some food.” As I left, they were filming—the King Cobras and the gentleman from the mosque—a Facebook video together about how we all live under one God and how they wanted to help. So New Zealand and so absolutely nothing’s changed.

But then, on Sunday, Jenna and I lined up like thousands of other Wellingtonians at the Basin Reserve, and there were armed police in the streets at the Basin Reserve. On the Basin Reserve banks, where I have spent so many happy summers, there were armed police with weapons. Everything has changed.

Our gun laws will change. My message to those with firearms, as National’s police spokesperson, is that things must change. Something is wrong when someone can have access to so much lethality and so much power and commit such crimes. As a Parliament, we must ensure that that can never happen again.

Everything has changed in New Zealand since Friday, but in the same way absolutely nothing has changed. We must continue to ensure New Zealand stands steadfast against terror, stands for tolerance, stands for civility, and stands for a multicultural New Zealand where all are respected. Thank you.

Hon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Minister for Pacific Peoples): Assalamo alaikum. Peace be upon you. Peace be upon all of us. I express my heartfelt condolences to the Muslim community. I do so on behalf of my constituency and the Pacific peoples of Aotearoa. I support the motion that Mr Davis has tabled today, I support the Prime Minister’s statement, and I acknowledge also the unison expressed by all political parties of this House.

Friday, 15 March is now a day for ever etched in our collective memories. On this day, a man fully armed with weapons of death stormed a place of worship, terrorised a worshipping congregation, slayed 50 people, and left many more injured, and I suspect many more will be scarred for life.

When news broke of this horrible act, I was talking with the Cook Islands Government about climate change and their plans for the future. Our first reaction was one of shock, but as the confirmation of the number of people who had been gunned down came through, we felt stunned, dazed, and then confused. It was a strange feeling. We could not sit and enjoy the hospitality of the Cook Islands Government. I felt numb. Our hosts respectfully took a minute of silence and then we quietly left. Even today, I do not know how to describe how I felt then nor how I feel today. As the Prime Minister has said, this Friday has become our darkest of days.

Most of us have experienced the loss of loved ones or friends or neighbours. We have felt the pain and hurt that accompanies such a loss. I once consoled the sister who lost her baby son due to a traffic accident. I have comforted my mother when her youngest son was burnt to death and she could not see his face on the final day. I have administered the last rites to uncles and aunties, even my mother, who all died from illnesses. And while I’ve always felt the loss of those loved ones, I have never felt the way that I feel today over the deaths of so many of our peoples in Christchurch.

It is poignantly disturbing to me, because the Muslim communities were praying, practising their faith and religion in their place of worship. For all of us who belong to the faith communities, irrespective of our religion and our religious beliefs, our places of worship are hallowed ground. They are sacred places. They are tapu. The man responsible for this terrorist act had no regard, whatsoever. His actions were senseless and deplorable. It is right that we condemn his actions in the strongest of terms, and I stand with the Prime Minister that he should remain nameless.

Last night, at the candlelight vigil in Māngere, organised by the South Auckland Muslim Association and the local board, it was their express view that this terrorist never be given the opportunity to espouse his hatred for the Muslim community ever—or for any other group. To the Muslim community and to the people of Christchurch: yes, we cannot know your grief, but we can and we will walk with you at every stage. We stand with our Prime Minister’s request that we surround you with our aroha, our alofa, and our manaakitanga. Yes, our hearts are heavy, and, yes, our spirits are strong.

The Prime Minister has said that there had, rightly, been questions around how this could have happened here. I acknowledge there is anger in our communities. There are many questions that need to be answered, and we will work together to get those answers. Part of ensuring the safety of New Zealanders must include a frank examination of our gun laws. Our gun laws must change. There is one person at the centre of this act of terror against our Muslim community in New Zealand—he is an extremist; he promotes himself as a white nationalist; he is a terrorist. He may have sought notoriety, but we in New Zealand will give him nothing. But we must also take responsibility as a nation. We must confront racism, violence, and extremism at all levels. Too often, we justify hate speech by saying, “We have the right of freedom of speech”—freedom of speech without care or consideration on the impact of words on people is reckless and immoral. Words matter. E pala le ma‘a ae lē pala ‘upu.

Yes, we say the person who committed these acts was not from here, he was not raised here, and he did not find his ideology here. But that is not to say those very same views do not live here. I’m mindful that our young people, Māori, Pacific, and Asian have expressed anger. They have noted the silence of some in the media who have, in the past, been quick to criticise people of a different race or religion. I ask our young people to take on board what the leader of the South Auckland Muslim Association said last night: “Love conquers hate, light conquers darkness, and as difficult as it may be our priority now is to ensure every member of our communities feel safe, and are safe. Once the bodies of our loved ones have been buried, we can begin the debate on how we build a nation that is free from hatred, and racism, and prevent violence from flourishing in Aotearoa New Zealand”. Inshallah

Hon DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East): Assalamo alaikum. Peace be upon you, peace be upon all of us.

We recognise and pay respect today to the 50 lives lost in the terrorist attack in Christchurch on Friday. Our sympathies are with the families and communities affected by this terrible attack. This has been an emotional time for all New Zealanders, especially our Muslim brothers and sisters. The way our country has come together to recognise the threat to our own value systems, and the need to repair and rebuild relationships, has been immense. I want to thank the PM on her strong words that resonated with both the Muslim, and non-Muslim communities alike. The way she has dealt with this situation has been well recognised nationally and internationally.

I want to commend the Muslim community for their forbearance, patience, and understanding at this time. This was a terrorist act. It was a deliberate, calculated attack to maximise loss of life. The Muslim community could have responded with fear, isolation, and revenge. Instead, they have focused on compassion, reflection, kindness, and openness. Their maturity has been a beacon of light at this time of darkness.

To our first responders, we thank you for your work in the most difficult of circumstances. To our police, medical staff, and ambulance staff, thank you for your service to our people.

New Zealanders are a fair-minded and welcoming people. We believe everybody has a place in this country, and condemn any actions that compromise our uniquely Kiwi values. What happened on Friday was not New Zealand; what has happened since is New Zealand. I want to pay tribute to two inspirational leaders of the Muslim community in New Zealand, Dr Mustafa Farouk and Dr Anwar Ghani. Both have led the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand over many years, and, along with Ismail Gamadid, Dr Asad Mohsin, and Dr Anisur Rahman, have worked tirelessly in Hamilton to see a vision of Islamic relations in our country, in our city. In Hamilton there have been arson attacks on our mosque in the late 1990s, and just a few years ago. Those leaders made a conscious decision to open the mosque to the wider community, and mosque open days and multicultural events have all culminated in promoting a vision of unity and understanding.

But there are some changes that are required to build stronger relations with our Muslim communities. Many young Muslims are getting tertiary qualifications but not employment. Many Muslim families find it difficult to get private rental housing. Many young Muslims struggle in our education system. These are issues that need to be addressed to enable better unity and connection.

Over the last few days, along with other MPs and my colleagues from Hamilton Tim and Jamie, we’ve been at the Hamilton mosque. The Hamilton mosque is down a long road leading to a roundabout. This means that visitors inevitably have to park some distance down the road. Over the last few days, from 7.30 in the morning till about 10 p.m. at night, there has been a steady stream of thousands of people coming to pay their respects. They are from all ages, walks of life, and beliefs. Many, I believe, have been looking for a way to reach out to the Muslim community but haven’t known how to do so. They are wanting to say that they value the Muslim presence in our community, that we are all one people, and that we need to understand each other.

Ready to welcome them are lines of young Muslim men and women that are stunned by these attacks. They came to New Zealand for peace and a better life. They look at the faces of the people coming down with their partners in hand, their children in hand, and holding flowers—there are tears everywhere. The people come in and they stand, they spend time; some write on the footpath with messages in chalk, others in song. This poignant message to the Muslim greeters is one of friendship, love, and respect. That is what New Zealand is about.

In true Kiwi fashion too, the Muslim community wants to repay this solidarity, and offers to open their doors for the visitors so that they can see what the mosque looks like, and how we are all one people with the same aspirations and desires.

On Monday night, we had the chance to welcome those very Muslim leaders to our church, the Catholic church, and as people were going up for communion they turned and hugged those Muslim leaders in the church. In the last few days, New Zealand has grown even stronger together, with bonds of unity and humanity for Muslim and non-Muslim alike that demonstrates our true belief in peace for all in this country. We can do so much more to make our society better. We have a vision set by our leaders Mustafa, Anwar, and Ismail that will work. Let’s do our part to make sure we encourage and build the love and respect that is required to achieve that vision. My deepest sympathy to all those who lost their lives in Christchurch, and their families.

Kia kaha, Christchurch. We are with you. Assalamo alaikum.

PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour): Tangi mōteatea ana i a rātou te hapori Ihirama o Ōtautahi. Ki a rātou i hinga, moe mai rā, i raro i te ngākau mahara, te rangimārie. Hoki ā-tinana mai te kapua pōuri ki te kotahitanga, te aroha o te whānau whānui o Aotearoa.

[Heart-broken, I mourn with the Islamic community of Christchurch. To those who have died, may you rest in peace, beneath a heart that remembers. We return in person from the cloud of sadness to the unity and love of the wider New Zealand family.]

We mourn with them, the Islamic community of Christchurch. We hold those we’ve lost in our hearts. May peace be with them. We stand together, our grief unites us, and our love will sustain us.

I got these beautiful lines from an email that the Hon Ron Mark’s office sent to all MPs, and I thank him for them.

Assalamo alaikum. Peace be upon you. May peace be with us all.

I have no words strong enough to condemn the unprecedented act of terror that took 50 lives and left 50 others struggling for their lives in Christchurch and broke our hearts across Aotearoa. This was a targeted act of violence, of a kind we’ve never seen before on our shores. This was violence that stemmed from hate and fear and othering, and many who are affected are from our migrant and refugee communities. Our Muslim New Zealanders come from different ethnic communities. We are a strong, proud nation of about 213 ethnic communities. We collectively speak over 160 languages. We may look different, dress differently, speak differently, worship in different ways in different places. Some of us were born here and our families have been here for generations. Some of us chose to come to Aotearoa, live here, and make a better life for us and our families. We are all New Zealanders and this is our home.

We’re a strong nation, not in spite of that diversity but because of it. We must not let the act of this one terrorist divide us. We must instead stand together, draw closer together, bound as a nation by the values of kindness, compassion, and love, and, inshallah, become even more inclusive.

It gives me great hope to see the masses of people who have attended various vigils around the country in support of, and in solidarity with, our Muslim communities, and I thank those who organised them and attended them. It gives me great hope to see the mountains of flowers, spontaneous songs, hugs, the outpouring of love outside our mosques and Islamic centres across New Zealand. It is these values that will see us through these dark days. We must continue to stand together to fight the hate, the xenophobia, and the extremism that led to this horrific act of violence. There should be no “them” or “us”. There should be no “other”. They are us and we are them. As the Prime Minister said yesterday, tātou, tātou.

My thoughts, prayers, and love are with those, the families, who have had their loved ones taken from them or injured; all our Muslim brothers and sisters in Christchurch, across Aotearoa, and beyond our shores; the people of Christchurch; anyone who has at any point in time been made to feel like the other; our communities across Aotearoa who are grieving. My utmost gratitude and respect to the first responders, medics, and the police and all those who provided assistance—from the taxi drivers in Christchurch, many from the Sikh community, who sprang into action offering free rides, shuttling people across the city; to the churches who opened their doors to our Muslim brothers and sisters, welcomed them and kept them safe; to the teachers who kept our young ones safe; to the countless stories of bravery, people who had put themselves in harm’s way and faced unspeakable horrors to protect others. We acknowledge you today in the House. We are united in grief and we must also stand united in strength.

I want to end with a prayer from the Hindu faith that I was brought up in and practise. It’s in Sanskrit followed by an English translation.

Aum Asato Maa Sad-Gamaya

Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya

Mrtyor-Maa Amrtam Gamaya

Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih

From falsehood lead us to truth, from darkness lead us to light, from death lead us to immortality. Peace, peace, peace. Thank you.

Dr PARMJEET PARMAR (National): Assalamo alaikum, Mr Speaker. It is with a very heavy heart I take this call to convey my condolences to the families that have lost their loved ones in those terror attacks on two mosques in Christchurch. Our thoughts and prayers are also with people that are still recovering in hospital, and we wish them a speedy recovery.

We don’t want people like that killer in New Zealand, and actually nobody wants people like that killer anywhere in the world, and I’m sure that our justice system will do everything possible to hold that killer to account for his actions. I also want to recognise that he was caught within an hour after he attacked innocent worshippers in two mosques. The attacks happened in two mosques, one after the other. It wasn’t like he randomly walked into a mosque and started shooting at people. It was a very calculated act, and now we know that he was spotted at a mosque in Hamilton too, so he was working on this for a while. He picked a Friday because Friday is a very special day for our Muslim community. He wanted to cause harm on a large scale. So many people fought back while he was attacking them, and that is why I think he couldn’t achieve what he wanted to achieve. So I’m really grateful to those people who fought back.

We lost 50 lives in that tragic incident. It’s a very difficult time for those families. I won’t say that it’s a difficult time just for the Muslim community in our country, because it’s a very difficult time for the entire nation. We all are feeling the pain.

That time, that Friday, will not come back. Those 50 lives will not come back. There’s a common saying that time heals. Yes, people say that time heals, but this horrific incident, our first extremist violent terrorist attack, has left deep wounds not only on family members of people that have lost their lives or people that were attacked but on the hearts of each and every New Zealander. It will take for ever for this wound to heal. Actually, it should not heal, because it should serve as a reminder for us here in this House to ensure safety for our people. I fully understand that our priority is to look after those families that are directly impacted in that tragic incident, but we have to also make sure that people are feeling safe, because our communities are shaken and people are feeling scared.

I am an immigrant. New Zealand is my home, and what I’m hearing and what we want to ensure is that this incident will not divide us, because that is what the terrorist wanted. Our values of being a Kiwi are bigger than the intention of that terrorist. In my view, our values of being a Kiwi are working hard, it’s about equal opportunities, it’s about respecting our country, New Zealand, respecting each other not just for our similarities but for our differences too, and I believe these values are bigger than the intention of that terrorist. So that activity will not divide us.

Mr Speaker, I want to acknowledge you for yesterday’s procession, and I also want to acknowledge each and every religious leader that was in that procession. It was really emotional to have Imam Nizam Ul Haq Thanvi start yesterday’s session with a prayer in Arabic that was followed in English and also in Māori. That showed that we are a very united multicultural country. Now it’s our job to send out a strong signal that we do not tolerate such kinds of behaviour, and that will depend on our response. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Dr DUNCAN WEBB (Labour—Christchurch Central): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I want to pay tribute to those families who lost loved ones in the horrible, senseless terror attack in Christchurch last Friday. My Prime Minister could not have put it better when she said, “They are us.” Racism and hate are built on the opposite of that statement. It denies the humanity in them. I stand here to recognise and affirm that each of those victims, and each member of those families, is one of us. Each one was entitled to be safe. Each one had the right to pray in their chosen place and in their chosen way. Each one had a right to lead a normal life, a right to strive, a right to come home and hug their kids, a right to dream of their children growing up stronger, and in a better place than they did. Many were young and their lives were yet to bloom and their dreams were still forming and growing. They were making those friendships of youth which last forever. Their lives were cut short, never to flourish.

The scale of this tragedy is horrific, and we must not lose sight of the fact that every life lost is a tragedy of infinite proportion, a life meaninglessly ended. I know that the tradition of Islam says that Allah takes his people to him when he is ready, when he chooses, and that is in God’s hands. In my tradition, the Christian tradition, this is a time for lamentation, a time to express grief, anguish, confusion, frustration at our inability to see any meaning in these events—why does it appear that God has forsaken us? That grief comes from the knowledge that each of these people was an individual, each with their own hopes and dreams, loves and despairs. Theirs are the names that we should speak to remember them and honour them.

Sayyad Milne was 14 years old. He pulled on the burgundy uniform of Cashmere High School every school day like his fellow students. He loved soccer; he was a goalkeeper. He was in the mosque on Friday. He is never coming home. He is one of us. Hamza Alhaj Mustafa was 16. He also went to Cashmere High. He came here to be safe from the conflict in Syria only months ago. He died with his father Khaled at the mosque. He is one of us. Husna Ahmed came to the aid of her wheelchair-bound husband when she heard shots. She died. She is one of us. Haji-Daoud Nabi was 71 years old. He is a beautiful man with soft, brown eyes and a perfectly trimmed beard; an Afghan rarely seen without his traditional pakol hat. He supported many refugees and was often seen at the airport welcoming them. It is said he died shielding the others from fire. His grandchildren will never see him again. He is one of us.

They are only four of those who lost their lives. There are 46 others. Each is remembered. Let us speak their names and remember them. There are 50 others who have been injured, some grievously. Let us remember them, know that their lives will be changed for ever. I know our Government will do all it can for them, but let us each, as citizens, as neighbours, as friends, care for them and embrace them. There are hundreds that saw these horrific events who, for a moment, did not know whether they would live or die. They are changed for ever. We must care for them.

To you who rendered aid and assistance in this time of trauma, whether by chance or by duty: you are, every one of you, heroes. You saw many things. We know you will be scarred. We thank you, we honour you.

They came as strangers to my city of Christchurch, to our land. We took them in to give them shelter. They are now to be lain in the soil of this land. In this most sad way, they are part of our whānau, part of our whenua, our whenua tapu Let us embrace them. In unity, we have strength. In anger, defeat. He ora te whakapiri. He mate te whakatakariri.

Motion agreed to.

Waiata

Speaker’s Rulings

Chamber, Lobbies, and Galleries—Party Labels

SPEAKER: Thank you, members. I want to make a very brief comment and acknowledge the quality of debate and the considerable decorum that there has been in the House over the last two days. That’s mainly a result of the behaviour of members and of their speeches, but there has been an additional factor, which has been absolutely evident to me, and that is that this House looks like it has decorum because it is not covered in boxes with party labels on them. I am therefore ruling, from now on, boxes in party colours with labels will be left in members’ benches and not put on top. I’m making this ruling pursuant to Standing Order 84(1).

Taxation (Research and Development Tax Credits) Bill

Instruction to Finance and Expenditure Committee

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House): I seek leave for the date by which the Finance and Expenditure Committee must report finally to the House on the Taxation (Research and Development Tax Credits) Bill to be extended from 1 April 2019 to 3 April 2019. This was a subsequent decision after the Business Committee yesterday, for that committee not to meet today.

SPEAKER: Leave is sought for that course of action. Is there any objection? There is none.

Sittings of the House

Sittings of the House

Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Leader of the House): I seek leave for the House to now adjourn until 2 April 2019 as a mark of respect for those people affected by the Christchurch mosques terror attacks.

SPEAKER: Leave is sought for that course of action. Is there any objection? There is none.

The House adjourned at 4.09 p.m.