New Zealand PM Promises Accountability on Findings about Christchurch Mosque Attacks
Ardern spent two hours meeting with the victims and families affected by the shootings Sunday morning ahead of the release of the commission's report.
She arrived shortly after 10am at the Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae, Christchurch, and was welcomed along with a group of MPs. They attended a hui (a social gathering or assembly) with those directly affected by the terror shootings, where a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15 last year.
The report from the inquiry was given to the victims and families from the attack on Saturday.
After the hui Ardern said the purpose of the day was to allow those directly affected by the attacks to spend time reading the report and raise any concerns.
It was “lengthy” at 800 pages, she said.
“There's a lot for them to consider.”
There would be “accountability” from the Government related to the findings, she said.
“That is something we will be outlining once it's more formally released.
“There will be some areas they will see us respond immediately, and others that we will come back and work through in more detail and take a bit more time on.”
It would be tabled in a “couple of days”, she said.
Ardern said she would give more detail in the coming week about whether a Government minister would be appointed to oversee inquiry recommendations.
“But that was something I proactively raised with the community.”
After the hui University of Canterbury Muslim Chaplin Ibrahim Abdelhalim said he was now satisfied as there was a “good end” to a “very hard time”.
He had delivered a sermon and was praying at the Linwood mosque when the gunman attacked.
“We need to give a lesson for the whole world, we are ready and able and strong enough to protect and save our country.”
He recommended the community looked forward.
“My advice to everyone is what happened has happened, who is killed is killed, who is injured, injured.”
The country had a responsibility to learn from what happened, he said.
“We need to give more attention to the young people, to correct them . . .because one day they will lead the whole world.”
He thanked the prime minister and Government for supporting his community.
The gunman who admitted the shootings was sentenced in August to life without the possibility of parole on 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and a charge of committing a terrorist act.
After the attack commissioners Sir William Young and Jacqui Caine were tasked with investigating the gunman's activities in the lead up to the attack, what security agencies knew about him and what they did with this information. Their report will assess whether agencies could have prevented the shootings and what can be done to stop similar attacks in the future.
On November 26 their findings were handed to Governor-General Patsy Reddy and Minister of Internal Affairs Jan Tinetti.
Source: Stuff.co.nz
