Solace and steel in PM's response

There could have been no more powerful a symbolic response to the terror inflicted on people killed as they prayed in mosques than images of the Prime Minister in a head scarf, her face dragged with grief as she stood before people from the Islamic community in Christchurch.

Jacinda Ardern was confronting a sickening situation for any country’s leader to have to deal with — a fresh hell, utterly different to the Christchurch earthquake because it was the result of hate, rather than nature.

It was while watching coverage on the international TV networks that it truly sunk in. There was the BBC and CNN running 24-hour coverage of the attack on those two mosques in Christchurch, just as they had many times before for other terrorist attacks overseas.

This time the startling words “New Zealand” were attached.

There was no bigger test than this and it is hard to think how anybody could have stepped up to it better than Ardern has.

The first job was reassurance for the Islamic community and New Zealand as a whole. Her second was to try to disassociate New Zealand from the motives for it in the eyes of the international community.

Ardern acknowledged the enormity of what had happened. She also did New Zealanders the favour of giving them facts, providing as much detail as she could about what had happened, the numbers killed and injured, what was being done, the man who now stands charged, and the apparent motives. She set out that the alleged terrorist was an Australian who had visited sporadically.

She set out what the increase in the threat level meant to ensure it did not provoke wider panic when people saw armed police in places they were not used to.

Facts help offer certainty and Ardern set them out in a matter of fact way.

It is to her immense credit that Ardern also confronted obvious and glaring questions immediately, rather than say things would have to wait for wider investigations to take their course.

These included questions of how such a person had evaded the authorities’ attention, despite securing a gun licence and openly sharing his views on social media.

She promised gun law reform. No ifs, maybes or buts. It would happen.

Just as importantly as facts, Ardern gave people words. It was Ardern’s words many used to voice their own sadness: “They are us,” “this is not New Zealand” and “this is your home, you should have been safe here” were used on cards outside mosques and on social media.

The solace was followed by the steel. She addressed the attacker directly: “You may have chosen us, but we utterly reject and condemn you.”

Blame was being cast about domestically too, and part of Ardern’s job was to stop that seeding. So when Ardern headed to Christchurch she took with her the leaders of all political parties, one force.

Ardern has already set out what her job will be over the next weeks, months and years.

It is making sure something like this never happens again.