‘We Are One’: Two years on NZ remembers Chch terror attack
Nearly a third of all in the country live in 2 per cent of New Zealand’s land area
Today marks the second anniversary of the Christchurch terror attack — one of the darkest days in New Zealand’s history where 51 people were murdered as they gathered to pray.
On Saturday a national remembrance service was held to mark the occasion, but instead of focusing on the sorrow and tragedy the theme was one of unity, hope and love.
On March 15, 2019 a gunman stormed into the Al Noor Mosque and then the Linwood Islamic Centre and opened fire on men, women and children who were at Friday prayer.
By the end of his rampage 51 people had suffered fatal gunshot wounds and a further 40 were injured.
The gunman later pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one count of terrorism. He was jailed for life, with no possibility of parole.
Saturday’s service was scheduled to go ahead in March last year to mark the first anniversary of the massacre, but due to Covid-19 it was cancelled.
About 500 VIPS attended on Saturday — including victims and survivors and their families.
About 100 members of the public were also there after booking seats for the heavily secured service. It was also livestreamed across the world.
The programme was put together with input from those most affected by the attacks, including survivors and families of the victims.
Mayor welcomes, remembers Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel was the first official speaker, acknowledging the families and friends of the victims.
“You and they are in our hearts forever,” she said.
“I acknowledge all those who were injured on that day and everyone who was traumatised by what they saw and experienced . . . I thank those who have shared their stories. I know how painful that can be.
“However, a seed of understanding is planted each time such a story is shared. And it is with understanding that we see that differences sometimes mask all that we have in common. And it is all that we have in common — our shared humanity — that brings us together in times of need and again today.”
Dalziel said the unity in the community since the attack was heartwarming.
“No longer strangers, we are neighbours in the true sense of the word,” she said. “We can all be proud of how we responded and how we supported each other with kindness and compassion.”
She wanted to keep the unity alive and urged people to see “differences as strength” and to “embrace our shared humanity”.
A widow speaks
Linwood Islamic Centre Imam Alabi Leef recited a Muslim invocation and then Kiran Munir spoke on behalf of the bereaved families.
Munir’s husband Haroon Mahmood was killed in the attack.
“Two years have passed by, we gather here to remember the 51 beautiful souls,” she said.
Munir said her husband would forever be remembered: “He was the love of my life and will always be . . . my husband and my extraordinary soulmate. He aimed to accomplish so much in life . . . ”
She remembered the day of “horrendous act of hate and terror”.
Her husband’s smile as he left home that day “still echoes” in her mind.
“Little did I know that the next time I would see him his body and soul would not be together, little did I know that the darkest day in New Zealand’s history had dawned.
“We felt our lives were meaningless after losing a wonderful husband and father. I constantly think of all the precious lives that were lost all the stories that were left unfinished ...
“Everyone was so special, so valuable and so heroic . . . Their legacy will always remain . . . they will live forever in all of us.”
She said the aroha and care shown after the attack was appreciated.
But now it was important for everyone to play their part in improving New Zealand for the better.
“The best revenge is not to be like your enemy . . . we are learning to rise up again with dignity and move forward as best we can,” she said.
“There’s still a long way to go to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.
“Racism has no face, no space, no place — we are one human race.”
A portrait of devastation
Those who died were honoured in a portrait of remembrance on screen and their names read.
A minute of silence was observed when the names had been read.
Survivor Temel Atacocugu, who was shot nine times, took to the stage to speak on behalf of the injured, and Faisal Sayed for other victims.
Atacocugu said the terror attack marked history with a dark stain.
“The victims were not foreigners, they were and are proud Cantabrians and New Zealanders — they are us,” he said.
“It is a miracle I am alive . . . four bullets in my left leg, one in my right, three in my left arm and another one in my mouth.
“I have seven major surgeries and there are more to come — I will carry shrapnel in my body for the rest of my life.
“Every time I have an x-ray it lights up like a Christmas tree.”
He said many of his wounds would never fully heal but he was a “strong, stubborn Turkish Kiwi” who had been brought up to battle on.
“And that is what I will do.” He recalled walking wounded 200m to the ambulance after he was shot: “Filled with pain and fear I kept thinking of my two sons, my mother, my siblings and all the people I love.”
A man sat beside him cradling his small son.
“The paramedics told him that his son was dead . . . there was nothing they could do for him,” he said, breaking down in tears.
“Suddenly my own pain felt insignificant, my heart wept for them.
“I still go to Al Noor each week for prayers and I see that father with a big smile on his face — he is a remarkable man.”
Atacocugu said the terror attack was driven by racism that fed hatred and hostility.
“It is the worst enemy of peace . . . the only cure for it is the love of humanity,” he said.
“Whoever claims racism is not one of us, whoever fights for racism is not one of us, whoever dies for racism is not one of us.”
He thanked everyone who helped him and the other worshippers on the day of the attack and beyond.
He said the pain would never be erased: “We will never be the same, however the future is in our hands — we will go on and we will be positive together.”
Sayed recited the words of the national anthem and said while we had lost 51 souls, many dreams, many smiles and laughter we did not lose hope.
“Hope to see a nation that is without any fear, that is without any judgment and hate,” he said.
“We are hurt but we are hopeful. We live in a land where people are considered the most important thing.”
He said he had great hopes for his family and was a proud Muslim and Kiwi.
But he wanted everyone to work hard to eradicate hatred.
“We owe it to our kids, there’s a long way to go. It requires all of us.”
He thanked the Prime Minister for her leadership after the attack, for helping to unite the community.
“You changed people’s hearts . . . so thank you for that.
“Men of every creed and race . . . God defend New Zealand.”
Al Noor Imam Gamal Fouda said no one could have imagined that a terror attack would happen in New Zealand.
“Over the last two years we have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable,” he said. “We are here today to reconfirm the same message — we are together, we are one.”
The victims were not foreigners, they were and are proud Cantabrians and New Zealanders -- they are us.
Governor-general, PM speak Governor-general Dame Patsy Reddy acknowledged the loss of “precious loved ones”.
“We grieve for you all, we cry. “New Zealanders were deeply shocked by the cruel slaughter . . . we searched for words to express our outrage and our sorrow.
“We wept for the victims as we learned their names . . . read stories about their lives, we listened to tributes from those who knew them. “The loss has cut deeply.” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke last, saying the lives of the 51 were taken in “the most tragic and horrific way”.
“Words will never change what happened that day.
“Words will not remove the fear that descended over the Muslim community in the days, weeks and months that followed.
“Words will not take away the trauma . . . words cannot perform miracles, but they do have the power to heal.
“That means using our words to acknowledge the lives that were lost . . . our duty is to remember not only what has been taken but who your loved ones were and what they gave to the community.” — NZ Herald
Sugar taxes work overseas, and should be introduced here based on already successful models, the Dental Association has told the Government.
A new report, led by the researchers from the University of Cambridge and published in the British Medical Journal, found the United Kingdom’s tax on sugary drinks resulted in a 10 per cent decrease in people’s sugar consumption.
The British Government pushed through the levy in April 2018. It is a two-tiered tax levied on soft drinks manufacturers to encourage them to reduce the sugar content in their products.
The study found one year on from that tax coming into effect, the overall volume of soft drinks being purchased did not change, but the actual sugar levels did, by about 10 per cent per household.
There has long been a campaign to introduce a similar levy here in New Zealand.
Campaigners argued a tax would help fight against childhood obesity, as well as tooth decay and diabetes.
A French study has in the past concluded that sugary drinks could increase the risk of cancer.
However, think-tank the New Zealand Initiative has argued that any sugar tax could reduce consumption, but not obesity.
In New Zealand, successive governments have ruled out introducing a tax — including the current administration, which made an election promise to not bring in any new taxes.
Dental Association spokesman Dr Rob Beaglehole said they should reconsider.
“We know that at least 8000 children have a general anaesthetic to have their teeth taken out.
“Sugary drinks are the number one source of sugar in New Zealand, and this is the reason why New Zealand Dental Association is calling on the Government to take measures to reduce sugary drink consumption.”
While a tax is the best way of doing that, he said it was not the only way.
“Other ways include marketing and sponsorship advertising restrictions on junk food. What we’re really calling on is the Government to show leadership, and instigate a water-only policy in all schools.”
— RNZ
So when we folk who are not Aucklanders get our noses a bit out of joint about the place, remember the place generates nearly 40 per cent of the country’s wealth yearly.
Iam always amazed and impressed by Auckland, that huge city near the north of the country, home to 1.6 million people and set to rise to 2 million by 2033 at the latest.
It is the destination for most migrants to New Zealand when borders are open.
In my view, migrants coming here equate Auckland as New Zealand, many often having no concept of the rest of the country. Many Aucklanders may rarely, if ever, travel south of the Bombay Hills in their lifetimes.
In terms of work, family and lifestyle many have no interest in the rest of New Zealand. If they are recent migrants it is likely that all their family and friends reside in Auckland anyway.
I have lived, worked and studied in Auckland at various times in my life. The last few years before retirement my trips consisting of day or overnight trips for conferences and seminars, me never seeing anything of the place other than the airport and from the back of the cab taking me to wherever I am going.
Mostly the venues were close to the airport as my employer had property there used as a handy place for staff flying in from all over the country to meet.
Of course I have holidayed there and even spent a year there off and on at Auckland University, living in a body corporate apartment building off Symonds St and within walking distance of class.
I must say I have, in recent years, found Queen St to be somewhat soulless compared with earlier times, preferring the shops and restaurants in Newmarket or Takapuna.
Aucklanders I have met have a slightly different world view to me, a provincial drop-out. They seem slightly more sophisticated, worldly wise and more Australian than Kiwi in their lifestyles. They have little interest in what the rest of the country is getting up to unless it is something momentous like the Blues losing away from home or the Warriors winning.
Auckland’s waterfront is simply world class and it will be great to see the port with all its ugly cranes and containers shifted north or elsewhere if that is to happen. Auckland is now close to becoming a small world-class city and is the face of our country. There has been chat in recent times of Auckland becoming a city state.
Unlikely due to the necessary duplication of government systems needed, easier just to blame and hector the Government in Wellington.
Auckland is the base for the headquarters over 100 multinational companies operating in the Asia Pacific region. It generates 37 per cent of the country’s GDP. Over 39 per cent of
Aucklanders were born overseas.
On average Aucklanders tend to be better-educated than other New Zealanders, earn more money and have access to better healthcare.
Auckland and Aucklanders tend to get a bad rap from other New Zealanders, not that this probably worries them that much. They are too busy working, enjoying their beautiful beaches and struggling with mortgages that can be eye-watering.
Many of the rest of us seem to have a quiet, seething envy when Auckland is constantly in the news, new infrastructure spending is allocated to yet another railway or motorway project.
With events like the America’s Cup being hosted in the Queen City, it can be enough to make one wonder “what about the rest of us”. The figures above explain why. Nearly one-third of all the people in the country live between the Bombay Hills and Albany, 2 per cent of New Zealand’s land area.
Auckland is simply the powerhouse of the country. New
Zealand could not prosper without Auckland.
Saying all this I prefer the provincial lifestyle, I would not live it otherwise. Auckland is a 45-minute flight away for me and, having family and friends there is enough of a reason nowadays to visit and wonder at the place and what is going on.
So when we folk who are not Aucklanders get our noses a bit out of joint about the place, remember the place generates nearly 40 per cent of the country’s wealth yearly.
That is serious money, much of which probably goes back into the Auckland economy as it is simply needed due to inherited transport and infrastructure issues the city has to grapple with along with an increasing population — 45,000 new Aucklanders in 2016 alone, more than the population of my provincial city at that time.
The rest of New Zealand should celebrate what Auckland is and what it means to us as a country.
It is only a flight or train trip away from most regions, an opportunity in these days of closed borders to see the wonders of a big city without having to leave the country. Take in a show, watch international sport, eat out well. Enjoy.
PICK OF THE WEEK Love, Victor — Disney+
Until now, the deeply nerdy concept of ‘cinematic universes’ has been applied really only to comic book franchises, leaving all other genre nerds out in the cold.
But it was only ever a matter of time before rom-com nerds got a cinematic universe they can care about too, and here it is — the Love, Simon cinematic universe, aka the Simonverse.
Love, Victor, on Disney Plus’s not-just-for-kids section Star, takes place at the same school as 2018 movie Love, Simon, which was an adaptation of the original 2015 young adult novel Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. It’s a small cinematic universe, but this is just the start — the book universe has already fractured into three separate series, so there’s bound to be more.
The movie — an earnest, warm-hearted and little-bit John Hughes-y teen rom-com — was about a teen coming out of the closet via a grand public display of affection atop a ferris wheel.
In the series, set a couple of years later, this has apparently become such well-known national news that Victor already knew about it before his family moved to town; so much so that he feels entitled to slide into Simon’s DMS and send him an entire expository monologue the day before starting at his former school.
Within days of starting at Creekwood High, a remarkably complex ecosystem of crushes has formed around Victor.
The most popular girl in school fancies him, his jock nemesis on the basketball team fancies her, her best friend fancies him, but Victor’s neighbour fancies her. Throw in a chiselled-jaw, tight T-shirt, guitar-playing gay barista and suddenly we have a potential kiss for the ferris wheel — or any of the many other romantic events on the busy pre-covid school calendar.
WORTH WATCHING The One, Netflix
The 2011 films No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits The Tender Trap both asked the same question: is it possible to sleep with someone on a regular basis without falling in love?
In 2021, two TV series have come out with similarly identical premises — Amazon Prime Video’s Soulmates and
Netflix’s The One both ask: what would happen if there was a test you could take that tells you who your soulmate is?
Whereas Soulmates took a quite thoughtful approach over its anthology season, the single-narrative The One explores the various permutations with a bit more scandal and drama. You probably don’t need to take a test to figure out which, if either, is the one for you.
The Tender Trap TVNZ 1, 8.30pm tonight
If you have a nose for a romance scam, you may be familiar with the story of Kiwi woman Sharon Armstrong, who was arrested in Argentina in 2011 with 5kg of cocaine in her suitcase.
She published a book about it, Organised Deception, in 2018, and now that has been used as the basis for The Tender Trap, a TVNZ 1 Premiere Story (nee Sunday Theatre).
Starring Rima Te Wiata as Sharon, the dramatisation gives us some idea how easy it is to get romance-scammed, despite how obvious all the signs are in retrospect.
MOVIE OF THE WEEK Halston, Neon
In the 1970s it was all Halston this, Halston that — but if you’ve never heard of the influential fashion designer, this documentary might shed some light on why.
Directed by Frederic Tcheng, whose previous fashion documentaries include ones about Christian Dior and Diana Vreeland, Halston takes place at the intersection of high fashion and big business, and the perils of trying to combine the two. Come for the chic disco-era fashion, stay for the almost true-crime style portrait of big business failure.
FROM THE VAULT Felicity (1998), Disney+
Where were you the day
Felicity cut her hair?
One of the most iconic TV moments of the 1990s, the season two, episode two bombshell would inspire a worldwide spike in pixie cuts in the weeks and months that followed, just as the first season had been responsible for romanticising the concept of going to uni in a different city for an entire generation of high schoolers.
An obvious choice to watch next, after you finish Dawson’s Creek or Sex and the City or any of the other 90s classics that everyone’s streaming these days.