The terrorist came from another place, not just another country but a psychological place of evil and extremism that I cannot begin to understand. The harm that one person wrought in a few minutes on a Friday afternoon is overwhelming in it's horror and sadness.
But one thing my fellow Kiwis have shown in the past week is that we can stand together, not just to condemn such an obviously despicable act, but to genuinely care about the people who were killed or injured. Eight million dollars has been donated in one week via the Victim Support Givealittle page. That's pretty amazing from a population of 4.8 million people. Jacinda Ardern gets a big tick from me for her strong, decisive and compassionate leadership at this time.
From masses of flowers and practical assistance by people on the ground in Christchurch to the beautiful comments on our paper hearts and in the condolence book at the library it gives me hope. I feel hope that the racism we must acknowledge exists in New Zealand will be overcome by good people not looking the other way but showing by their words and deeds that we are so much better than that.
