What is a terror attack?

Whether the events of last Friday in Christchurch fit that label or not, it was not a conversation I expected to be having with my kids in the context of New Zealand. 

Yet that has now changed.

Shock. Sadness. Disillusionment. My initial response.

Trying to explain why it happened to the kids? Impossible, but equally unavoidable as they wanted to know what had happened.

It’s not who we are has been the national response. 

But I think that might be missing the point. It is.

It is human nature to identify yourself with different groups – family, southlander, Kiwi. But there is no arguing with statistics. A quick look at Statistics New Zealand or the Department of Health confirms that minorities are disproportionately represented in negative life statistics – unemployment, lower education, mental and physical health issues, and life expectancy are just a few.

People still run on platforms of immigration at elections, playing on people’s fears and insecurities. 

Ellie Hunt has expressed this much more articulately in her recent article in the Guardian. We’re not so different to other countries.

What is clear though is this is not who we want to be. 

Perhaps this horrible event will provide the impetus to have much needed honest conversations about how we make sure that’s the case?

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