FROM THE EDITOR
Last Thursday night I had dinner with two of my closest friends. One of them had recently come back from a trip to Thailand with her parents to revisit a refugee camp, not far from the Cambodian border, where she was born and spent the first year of her life.
It was an emotional conversation as she shared some of the stories her parents had told her, including glimpses of the horrors they endured to get to the camp, as well as their moment of true joy when a Red Cross worker told them there was space for them on a flight heading to New Zealand.
They arrived here with just the clothes on their backs, but were given shelter, medical checkups, clothes to wear, English classes and lessons in Kiwi culture to ease them into their new lives. And thanks to the opportunity New Zealand gave them, plus their incredible work ethic, the entire family has found success here and contributed so much to our community.
I went to bed that night feeling so proud. Proud of everything they had overcome, but also so proud to be a
New Zealander. Proud to live in a country that provides a safe haven to those who so desperately need it.
The very next night – like all of New Zealand – sleep was near-on impossible to catch. I tossed and turned, my mind swimming with thoughts of Christchurch, at the very idea that a coward would try to shake the foundations of who we really are and what makes us, us: our diverse multicultural society.
Our kindness. Our generosity.
But that’s all I’ll say of him.
We won’t be dwelling on him or even allowing him a name here. Instead, we will talk about the victims, the heroes, the outpouring of love and generosity from Kiwis as our communities rally to support one another.
A truly horrific event has taken place – the magnitude of which we are still coming to terms with – but there are so many stories, actions, and gestures of hope and light to combat the darkness.
We’ll name and celebrate as many of those people as we possibly can in this issue and in the upcoming weeks. We’ll celebrate what it means to be a New Zealander. We know that we haven’t always got it right – and those can be confronting conversations to have – but this isn’t New Zealand and this can’t be our country.
I’d never visited a mosque before this week – I’m now just sorry it took me so long. But what I saw there will stay in my mind forever: so many of us of different ages, genders, races and religions, all standing together to share whatever we could, be it flowers, cards, words, hugs or just tears.
Sleep still isn’t coming so easily, but more than ever I’m so proud to be a New Zealander.
Our love will win.