New Zealand rendezvous of the year announced

By RNZ

Massey University Citation of the Year has been awarded to the daughter of a man killed in the Christchurch terror attack.

Sara Qasem’s father, Abdelfattah Qasem, was killed in the Al Noor Mosque. His defiant statement to the terrorist during his sentencing, “Let it be known, these tears are not for you,” garnered more than a quarter of the vote in the competition.

Qasem remembered the smell of his father’s cologne as his eyes filled with tears.

In a statement, she said that she was surprised her date won the competition and was honored that her words had a lasting effect on getting people to sympathize and resonate.

“This statement was one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life; I was not sure how I could speak up and do justice to so many people in my community – to my own father, Abdul.”

Qasem was one of more than 90 victims who read a statement in court during sentencing. He said reading the statement was heartbreaking and incredibly empowering.

“When I felt it annoying me more and more, I felt the urge to rush through my words and run off the podium.

“But my dad was there, somewhere, somehow, and I felt it, reassuring myself with the words, ‘take your time, he has taken a lot from ours, yours, mom, your sister, take your time , cry, I know. ” angry, tell him what you think, look him in the eyes, pause Sara, breathe, continue, there is no rush, here I am.

“It was in those moments that my emotions were at their peak, and it occurred to me that I needed to know, so I stopped reading. I looked into his eyes and let him know; I let him know that these tears were mine and my father’s , a moment we shared together; they weren’t for him. He’d had enough already, he wasn’t going to claim this too. “

Dr. Heather Kavan, a speechwriting specialist at Massey University, said it was an emotional and off-the-cuff comment.

“The scenes are so raw and the emotions so powerful that the words feel better than explained.”

Second place for the appointment of the year went to Chief Health Officer Dr Ashley Bloomfield, who said, “There are no new Covid-19 cases to report in New Zealand today,” with 22.2 percent the votes.

Kavan said people would have been in favor of the quote because it was what people wanted to hear and because of Bloomfield’s sympathy.

“The subtext is that everyone’s sacrifices were priceless.

“The quote doesn’t need any stylistic finesse to be one of our best linguistic moments. In fact, it’s Dr. Bloomfield’s sincere and unassuming style that adds to its appeal.”

Finalists of the appointment of the year 2020 in order of votes received

• “Let it be known that these tears are not for you.” Sara Qasem, daughter of Abdelfattah Qasem, speaking with the Christchurch mosque gunman in her victim impact statement.

• “Today there are no new Covid-19 cases to report in New Zealand.” Dr. Ashley Bloomfield at press conferences throughout the year.

• “You are in silence”. Most New Zealanders on Zoom as of March 2020.

• “Save your jazz cabbage, people.” Hilary Barry, co-host of TVNZ’s Seven Sharp, on the referendum results showing New Zealanders voted against legalizing cannabis.

• “I’m the orange face you can trust.” Orange-fronted parakeet soliciting votes in the Bird of the Year competition.

• “I did a little dance.” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern when asked how she reacted when New Zealand had zero active cases of Covid-19.

• “It really highlights how smooth three-layered we’ve become as a species.” Psychology professor Marc Wilson on the accumulation of toilet paper during the confinement.

• “Because we can’t get on each other’s nerves if we dance constantly.” The Buchanan family in their music video that went viral during the confinement.

• “When my eyebrow goes up, it’s a joke.” Judith Collins, Leader of the National Party, on how people can tell if he is joking or if he is being real.

• “Australians can have Russell Crowe, but they can’t have our buzzing bee.” Simon Beattie after The Crown (Netflix series) moved the lively bee scene from New Zealand to Australia.