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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Prime Minister Andrew Little at the Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae in Christchurch.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is promising victims of the March 15 terror attack that they will see “immediate action” from the government following the release of the Royal Commission report this week.
Ardern met with some of the family members and survivors of the Christchurch shootings this morning, an attack that claimed the lives of 51 worshipers at the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Center last year.
Speaking to the media after the meeting at the Nga Hau E Wha National Marae in Christchurch, Ardern said that today was an opportunity for victims to voice their concerns, before the Royal Commission of Inquiry report on the shooting comes out on Tuesday.
“We have told you: there are some areas where you will see us respond immediately [to] and others that we will have to go back and work on in more detail, and spend a little more time. “
But he said one of the main things he wanted the victims to know is that “there will be responsibility on our side in terms of compliance with the Royal Commission.” [report]”.
“I want to make sure that after such considerable work … we make sure we act on it.”
Most reports of this nature provide a series of recommendations to the government on how it can prevent such an event from happening again.
Ardern has seen the report, as have some families affected by the attack.
But the prime minister will not elaborate on his findings until they are publicly released on Tuesday.
About the report itself, Ardern said it was “significant”: It is about 800 pages long.
Although he said it was “quite distressing” for victims and survivors to have to relive and review the attack in detail, Ardern said he wanted to give those affected “time and space” to read the report.
“I think that’s the right thing to do.”
She was joined by other important members of her cabinet today, including Andrew Little and Kris Faafoi.
Ahead of today’s meeting, Islamic groups have asked the government to appoint a dedicated minister to oversee the report’s recommendations.
They have said that a single point of contact with the government will expedite the response
Some of the survivors have also raised concerns about how the terrorist was able to obtain a firearms license and want hate speech addressed.
On November 26, the new Interior Minister, Jan Tinetti, confirmed that the government received the report and that it would be presented to Parliament – making it public – on Tuesday, December 8.
