Areport to shape our future
Tomorrow, the governor-general will receive one of the most important reports of our time. Dame Patsy Reddy will pass it to the Government. The Government will decide when to make it publicly available. It’s inconceivable the Government will sit on it for long.
The report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques – and our collective response to it – will shape the country’s future for at least a generation. It will be read – and the national response to it will be closely watched – around the world.
We can emerge from the catastrophe of March 15, 2019, amuch better country, but it’s going to take honesty, integrity, imagination and courage. Let’s not be defined by the terrorist attack, but by our courageous and collective response to it.
When the royal commission was established last year, commissioners Sir William Young and Jacqui Caine were confronted with a Herculean task. They faced many complex, highly sensitive issues. The commission conducted some 400 meetings, including with two prime ministers, affected wha¯nau, survivors and witnesses of the terrorist attack, and chief executives of public sector agencies.
Until we know what the report says, it’s premature to say whether the commission has done a good job, but its professionalism, commitment and industry are palpable.
No doubt it will address how to counter violent extremism, such as white supremacy. This demands a range of initiatives, including deradicalisation, rehabilitation and law reform.
But tackling symptoms won’t be enough; the country must also address the root causes of violent extremism. Some of those causes extend beyond New Zealand. For example, we will have to reconsider how to hold accountable social media global corporations, an issue that is explicitly excluded from the royal commission’s terms of reference.
March 15 was an attack on Muslims because of their faith. But the attack was also fuelled by the racism of white supremacy. In recent years, this pernicious ideology has targeted Ma¯ori, Jewish, Asian, Indian, African and Pacific people in New Zealand.
Itmay be uncomfortable, but we have to recognise the roots of racism and white supremacy here can be traced back to colonisation, which disregarded Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
This does not mean New Zealanders today should anguish about intergenerational guilt: that would be unwarranted and unhelpful. But it does mean we should not wilfully forget our racist colonial history which, for many years, failed to honour Te Tiriti.
Today, vital features of Te Tiriti are still not honoured. If we are serious about understanding March 15, and tackling the root causes of violent extremism, we must acknowledge and address the systemic racism experienced by tangata whenua over many generations.
One of the roles of the royal commission is to hold to account those in power. Muslim communities – and everyone in New Zealand – need to know what went wrong, who was responsible, what remedial action is possible, how we can do everything possible to ensure it never recurs, and how we can build an inclusive multiculturalism grounded on Te Tiriti.
If the commission finds errors were made, whoever is responsible should go to our Muslim brothers and sisters, acknowledge shortcomings, apologise, and take effective action.
We also need a nimble but compelling way of checking that the commission’s recommendations are implemented and, if not, why not.
Whatever accountability arrangements are established (more than one will be needed), they must include adequately funded Muslim – and other – community organisations.
The public service should engage consistently and respectfully with Muslim and other communities. Too often, this has not happened in the past. Communities are part of the solution, not part of the problem.
The values embodied in human rights and Te Tiriti – the importance of relationships, responsibilities, partnership, respect (manaakitanga), fairness, dignity, decency, freedom, equality, belonging, community, safety, wellbeing, participation – have a crucial and constructive role to play.
The new Public Service Act is an invaluable step in the right direction. It heralds new ‘‘public service principles’’, ‘‘a spirit of service to community’’ and a duty ‘‘to promote diversity and inclusiveness’’.
Together, let’s turn these inspirational words into transformational actions.