I was born and grew up in New Zealand, and although I’ve lived in Australia since 1981 I’m still a New Zealander – it’s just in my heart, and my blood, and my sensibility. I’m sure many other AWers who live outside the country of their birth would feel the same way.
What happened in Christchurch yesterday obviously hit the NZ community hard, and more so than these events usually do. Of course I’ve been horrified at all the US shootings, and the attacks in London and elsewhere. But in your own country it’s different. For a start, these things just don’t happen in New Zealand (or didn’t until yesterday). You grow up in this sleepy South Pacific outpost, which in the sixties was something of a cultural colonial backwater. Everything was imported or derived from the mother country – our values, attitudes, lifestyle, food, music, everything. Plus, nothing ever happened that made any mark on the world. And if it did we were ridiculously proud. Peter Snell winning two track gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, not to mentioning holding the mile record at the same time. And of course the All Blacks, the only NZ creation consistently at the top of their game on the world stage. It’s a different country now – for a start it’s not all white, it’s one of the few countries in the world where the indigenous population are almost up there with their colonial masters in terms of recognition and rights. And we can hold our own with musicians, songwriters, filmmakers and writers from other countries. And still be ridiculously, culturally cringey proud of those achievements.
But this sort of loony right wing ultra gun violence, well it just doesn’t happen. We’re a peaceful, welcoming people. Yeah there’s idiots galore, of course, there are everywhere, and there’s a wacky right wing political mob, but nowhere near as prominent as in Australia or the US. We recently voted in our third woman Prime Minister whose basic bloody common decency is the envy of people all over the world. That’s the kind of thing we do. Like standing up to the French government when they bombed the shit out of our Pacific neighbours and sank a Greenpeace boat in Auckland harbour, or refusing to let US nuclear ships enter our harbour. New Zealand does a lot of things really well.
And I heard today that New Zealanders this morning spontaneously turned up at mosques all over the country, in sympathy and support. That too is the kind of thing we do. It remains to be seen how much this changes the country. It will and it won’t. But right now we’re all heartbroken, because 49 people dead feels like half the population.
I too am in Australia although originally from the UK. I love New Zealand and always thought that one of the things that Kiwi’s should be most proud of is that nothing really important ever seems to happen there. Its funny that the headline local news is usually so mundane – but it also really, really fantastic. It’s always seemed to be the safest country in the world with Australia coming in second. What happened is truly, shockingly terrible – but it’s an aberration.
I am an optimist by nature and I do hope something good comes from this but right now it just feels hopeless. I suppose things will feel normal again in time, but today the feeling is heartbreak and deep, profound sadness. Going to a party tonight. Don’t want to go but talking to friends might help – connecting is better than wallowing.
It’s a cliche by now, but it’s true, these things just don’t happen here in this sleepy, largely peaceful country. A terrible tragedy; we are numb with sadness.
Can any good come from it? Hard to say, but the positive reaction to Jacinda Ardern reassures us that NZ still has a unique character. And maybe we can also inspire others, for example in showing it is possible to ban the sale of semi-automatic rifles.
I live a few miles from Warrington town centre. I remember the 1993 IRA bombs that killed two boys. I remember the sound. I’m sure that if you ask people across the country what they know about Warrington and those bombs are high on the list, even all these years later. It becomes a defining characteristic. The memorial has gone now but the Peace Centre continues to thrive. It was an atrocity that made people think ‘enough’ and it gave impetus to the peace process.
I do hope NZ manages to ban weapons of war getting into the hands of civilians. I’ve never understand why anyone who enjoys hunting or shooting at targets would want a gun that fires dozens of bullets in a matter of seconds. Why would a gun enthusiast want to own a weapon that requires virtually no skill to use? Unless, they actually enjoy the prospect of mass slaughter.
Most of all, I hope NZ resets some thinking about Muslims. It feels ridiculous to say it but not all Muslims are terrorists, just as not all Irish Catholics were in the IRA. In both cases, it’s a tiny minority using the language of religion, rather than its teachings, to ‘justify’ attacks. The people attending those Mosques and their religion have nothing to do with ISIS.
It’s good, too, that the use of social media is being scrutinised. How far would this individual have gone if he hadn’t been fuelled by people he’d never met? We’ll probably never know. However, it’s possible this could lead to a reduction of hate on the Internet. Maybe? Plus, if your prime minister can get Trump to shut up, I’d be delighted.
@Tiggerlion “I hope NZ resets some thinking about Muslims” – I don’t think NZ has the same kind of issues with Muslims that exist in other Western countries. Remember this lunatic who shot the 49 people dead was an Australian. NZ has welcomed refugees (unlike Australia), we have offered to take refugees currently imprisoned on Manus and Nauru Islands (held there for purely political reasons by the Aust government), and we are a genuinely multicultural society (especially with our own indigenous Maori people).
That’s what I meant. Perhaps, rephrasing it as ‘I hope NZ’s example resets some thinking about Muslims across the world’ captures my intention better.
@Tiggerlion – yeah I kind of knew that’s what you meant.
Unfortunately in these times we need to be so careful about how we express this stuff.
Cheers
Getting Trump to shut up would be a major achievement.
I was in Birmingham the night of the IRA pub bombings and still vividly remember an eerily quiet CIty Centre cordoned off while Police workers scoured the street for body parts blown out of the Tavern in the Town. I dont think that night will ever leave me. After every terrorist act there is a fervent hope that humanity heals itself. Sadly it never does and one cowardly act follows another. This week my son started the process of applying for a job in New Zealand. I hope he gets it because it seems to me that the Kiwis have a greater hold on peaceful coexistence than we did here
@SteveT – yes we do (“have a greater hold…”). All the best for your son.
I was two blocks away from the Grand Hotel in Brighton the night the IRA tried to blow Thatcher up, and still vividly remember the anger among my fellow students the next morning that the old bat had survived.
As it happens , tomorrow is Islamic open day at some mosques in Australia tomorrow. Nit all but oresumably those that have agreed to participate. I will be going along tomorrow.
https://www.facebook.com/events/280087459342201/permalink/299907494026864?sfns=mo
Rachel the psychic knows of Sealand, and wants to reach it – for it is a bastion of tolerance and reason. I understood where it was when I read the Chrysalids as a child, and I’ve always wanted to go there, if only it were not so far away. May peace and human decency recover on your shores renewed and strengthened in your collective abhorrence of this appalling act of idiocy and ignorance.
One of my best pals lives in NZ and I have an open invite for a long stay but the distance has always put me off. In fact he would have been celebrating his birthday in BB King’s Blues Club in Memphis at the time. Terrible terrible business anywhere but I can’t imagine the shock to the national psyche of a country who prides itself on common sense, decency and inclusiveness.
@Twang. Never been to NZ even though it is just across the ditch as we say down here. But I will.
I always remember meeting some well travelled Canadians who said of all places they have visited NZ was the best for the diversity of spectacular scenery in such a short distance.
Apparently hiring a motorbike to tour it is absolute heaven. Thinking maybe a retirement treat.
I looked into this last time I was there (2006). It worked out dear, though there must be some kind of deal you can cut for longer hires. Count me in!
Catch a few folk festivals? 😉🎸
These right-wing scum are everywhere, and unfortunately they don’t only get encouragement from other nutters on the dark corners of the internet, these days they also get it from elected politicians in most countries flirting with intolerance and racism, making it seem OK.
I’m an optimist by nature, but I’m finding it more and more difficult to avoid getting pessimistic about the state of the world and where we’re going. Especially after news like this.
Absolutely spot on @Locust.
I thought of you, @Mousey, and my other NZ friends, when this terrible news came through, and send love and hugs now. I share Locust’s sense of hopelessness in the face of such evil, but if there’s one thing I hope it is that the facilitators, the Paul Joseph Watsons, the Milo Whatsisfaces, the Katie Hopkinses, the Fraser Annings and all the rest of the sorry crew can at least be shown up for the charlatans they are, in a global blast of scorn and loathing.
As a former NZ resident I can imagine what a horrific impact this is having, particularly in a place like Chch with its small population still not recovered from devastating earthquake 8 yrs ago. One thing I always liked about NZ was its down to earth pragmatism and sense of community. Having said that, I did find that the isolation in some places did breed a certain kind of insular weirdo with apocalyptic/misogynistic/flat earth/conspiracy views. Banning semi-automatic weapons seems a step in the right direction.
..and now we have that Australian right-wing creep senator Fraser Anning saying that Muslims are to blame for the NZ attack.
What the actual fuck?
Got egged by a 17-year old. Shame the egg wasn’t on the end of a bat.
Also a pic from Anning’s twitter feed of him and Nigel Farage chumming up.
Be careful the company you keep, Nige…
Nige doesn’t give a flying fuck who he gets photographed with.
The Islamic Council of Victoria planned an Open Day 3 weeks ago. It was on this Sunday and I expect there were many more people coming to mosques than would otherwise have beeen the case. I kbow i went as an act of solidarity.
Everyone from the Imam down was delighted to see us all and very welcoming. I am glad I went.
Neil Finn’s reaction to Christchurch has been to quit social media altogether
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=12213896
I can understand Neil Finn’s reaction. but am very grateful that you took another route, Mousey, and shared your personal feelings about this hideous crime and your home country with us.
Yes, I agree that it is difficult to be optimistic in the face of these horrific events in Christchurch or the Norwegian mass murderer Breivik who ran amok at a socialist summer holiday camp for young people and killed 77.
But we have a duty to stand up against these people, not least as a way of honouring their victims.
Optimism is perhaps too much to ask for right now. But I am going to try for solidarity, unity and an affirmation of the democratic values they so hate.
Crikey! I seem to be morphing into Dave Spart, but I think you know what I mean.
Locust and Co, if you want to read more about Dave Spart, the fictional creation of satirical mazaine, Private Eye, this very long, very opinionated but very interesting article may help.
http://jonathanforeman.info/tag/dave-spart/
The bloke from Manchester with the “you are my friends, I will stand guard while you pray” sign was on NZ radio yesterday. The overall mood remains sombre here, so news reports are grim and downbeat. He came on and his chirpiness was really refreshing – he is totally amazed at the reactions worldwide to his gesture. My wife had a little emotional moment when she saw the picture. It’s a great reason to be famous.
Thanks Black! I read about him and it brightened my day enormously.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2019/03/christchurch-attack-uk-man-standing-guard-for-muslims-goes-viral.html
A simple, very articulate statement about choosing friendship and empathy over hate and violence.
Good on him!
If you all don’t mind me sharing this here…like most people, I have work pressures. Much of the stuff I need comes from a team of people working in Christchurch. They are, collectively, not exactly firing on all cylinders right now, even though they are stoically carrying on. I am finding it hard to relay this (even within NZ) to those who expect normal service to have resumed after a brief period of grief. This is much bigger than a slight setback.
I can’t help but be reminded of the murder (assassination?) of Olof Palme here in Sweden.
There are many differences but there is the same feeling of something unspeakable happening, after which things would not be the same again.
It was the end of the road for the idea that a PM or major political figure could cycle to work or go the cinema by public transport without a bodyguard.
When I lived there the “before and after “-ness of Palme was often referred to, in the same way as people do about JFK iin the US. Loss of innocence.
What would be the U.K. equivalent?
Unfortunately, I think our innocence was lost too long ago to remember clearly.
None of the horrible events of our current century have had a particularly profound, or at least lasting, effect.