Salesa JennyHon JENNY SALESA (Minister for Ethnic Communities): Assalamo alaikum. Last Friday 15 March is a day that will be remembered in Aotearoa New Zealand as one of our darkest days. Firstly I would like to acknowledge all of those who have lost loved ones and their families. Allah yarham mawtaakum—may Allah have mercy on those who have passed away. I would like to extend to you my sincerest condolences. Arohanui ki a koutou katoa whānau. It's been immensely moving to see the outpouring of love and compassion right across New Zealand from right here in Wellington last night in Māngere in South Auckland and right across Aotearoa. We are all standing in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters at this time. I'd also like to acknowledge that we are truly blessed to have an excellent leader the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern our Prime Minister because in responding to this huge tragedy she has indeed shown leadership in what we New Zealanders value and what we in New Zealand find as most important. She has shown aroha she has shown compassion and she has shown leadership in ensuring that we combat hatred with love—showing so many of these qualities that make us who we are as New Zealanders. I'm truly grateful to our first responders—and it's been mentioned earlier on—and I'd like to first of all thank our police and especially the two country policemen who stopped the terrorist in his tracks. I'd also like to acknowledge and thank the Deputy Commissioner of Police and the many policemen in his team who are currently on the ground in Christchurch. They're doing a tremendous job. I'd also like to say thank you to the Canterbury District Health Board in particular the chief executive and all of the health professionals who are still taking care of those who are injured. They too are doing a huge amount of work. They've also put aside rooms so that the police from the hospital can be based right there and so that our families don't have to go from point A to point B.I've been in Christchurch a couple of times as Minister for Ethnic Communities and I've got to say that yesterday when I was spending time with leaders of our Muslim community imams one of the imams that was there was Sheikh Gamal the imam from Deans Avenue. You could see and you could hear as he spoke and you could see in his eyes that he is hurting. He also expressed that his whole community is hurting. I did express that the whole country is grieving with him and everyone that he had lost. One of the things that he said to me is that his mother has been in contact asking him to leave this country but he said No. This is my country. Aotearoa New Zealand is my country and I am not moving anywhere."Government agencies are working hard to mobilise resources to be able to respond to the needs of our communities in dealing with their loss. As we come to grips with the aftermath of this horrific event one question that I hear asked repeatedly is: "How have we come to this?" Another question that's been posed is: "What are we as a country doing about this?" Responding to the Christchurch terror attack has highlighted the need for Government agencies to work more closely together and to become responsive to the needs of our ethnically diverse communities. We have over 200 across Aotearoa. While Government can and will provide the resources and support required the responses that we need must be guided by our ethnic communities to ensure that the solutions are fit for purpose and that they are long lasting and enduring. Solutions should also focus on longer term and sustainable gains that will benefit our Muslim community in Christchurch as well as more broadly our ethnic communities across New Zealand. We may not have all the answers at hand but when we listen to our communities and we work together we will be a step closer to achieving meaningful and enduring change. To my Muslim brothers and sisters arohanui ki a koutou katoa. We mourn with you. Our love and unity is stronger than all else. We are family whānau. We are all New Zealanders.As we grieve for the lives of the 50 that we've lost I'd like to remind everyone in this House that tomorrow is Race Relations Day. The theme is "Our people our cultures our languages." The important word here is "our". Tēnā koutou katoa. Assalamo alaikum."