Sio Hon Aupito WilliamHon AUPITO WILLIAM SIO (Minister for Pacific Peoples): Assalamo alaikum. Peace be upon you. Peace be upon all of us. I express my heartfelt condolences to the Muslim community. I do so on behalf of my constituency and the Pacific peoples of Aotearoa. I support the motion that Mr Davis has tabled today I support the Prime Minister's statement and I acknowledge also the unison expressed by all political parties of this House.Friday 15 March is now a day for ever etched in our collective memories. On this day a man fully armed with weapons of death stormed a place of worship terrorised a worshipping congregation slayed 50 people and left many more injured and I suspect many more will be scarred for life.When news broke of this horrible act I was talking with the Cook Islands Government about climate change and their plans for the future. Our first reaction was one of shock but as the confirmation of the number of people who had been gunned down came through we felt stunned dazed and then confused. It was a strange feeling. We could not sit and enjoy the hospitality of the Cook Islands Government. I felt numb. Our hosts respectfully took a minute of silence and then we quietly left. Even today I do not know how to describe how I felt then nor how I feel today. As the Prime Minister has said this Friday has become our darkest of days.Most of us have experienced the loss of loved ones or friends or neighbours. We have felt the pain and hurt that accompanies such a loss. I once consoled the sister who lost her baby son due to a traffic accident. I have comforted my mother when her youngest son was burnt to death and she could not see his face on the final day. I have administered the last rites to uncles and aunties even my mother who all died from illnesses. And while I've always felt the loss of those loved ones I have never felt the way that I feel today over the deaths of so many of our peoples in Christchurch.It is poignantly disturbing to me because the Muslim communities were praying practising their faith and religion in their place of worship. For all of us who belong to the faith communities irrespective of our religion and our religious beliefs our places of worship are hallowed ground. They are sacred places. They are tapu. The man responsible for this terrorist act had no regard whatsoever. His actions were senseless and deplorable. It is right that we condemn his actions in the strongest of terms and I stand with the Prime Minister that he should remain nameless.Last night at the candlelight vigil in Māngere organised by the South Auckland Muslim Association and the local board it was their express view that this terrorist never be given the opportunity to espouse his hatred for the Muslim community ever—or for any other group. To the Muslim community and to the people of Christchurch: yes we cannot know your grief but we can and we will walk with you at every stage. We stand with our Prime Minister's request that we surround you with our aroha our alofa and our manaakitanga. Yes our hearts are heavy and yes our spirits are strong. The Prime Minister has said that there had rightly been questions around how this could have happened here. I acknowledge there is anger in our communities. There are many questions that need to be answered and we will work together to get those answers. Part of ensuring the safety of New Zealanders must include a frank examination of our gun laws. Our gun laws must change. There is one person at the centre of this act of terror against our Muslim community in New Zealand—he is an extremist; he promotes himself as a white nationalist; he is a terrorist. He may have sought notoriety but we in New Zealand will give him nothing. But we must also take responsibility as a nation. We must confront racism violence and extremism at all levels. Too often we justify hate speech by saying We have the right of freedom of speech"—freedom of speech without care or consideration on the impact of words on people is reckless and immoral. Words matter. E pala le ma'a ae lē pala 'upu.Yes we say the person who committed these acts was not from here he was not raised here and he did not find his ideology here. But that is not to say those very same views do not live here. I'm mindful that our young people Māori Pacific and Asian have expressed anger. They have noted the silence of some in the media who have in the past been quick to criticise people of a different race or religion. I ask our young people to take on board what the leader of the South Auckland Muslim Association said last night: "Love conquers hate light conquers darkness and as difficult as it may be our priority now is to ensure every member of our communities feel safe and are safe. Once the bodies of our loved ones have been buried we can begin the debate on how we build a nation that is free from hatred and racism and prevent violence from flourishing in Aotearoa New Zealand". Inshallah"