I just wanted to make a few brief comments regarding the events on Friday in Christchurch, and express solidarity with all those affected by it.
In may ways the event itself and even some of the reactions to it have not been surprising, and while political violence is most distressingly a common tool internationally, when something like this occurs so close to home there is an immediate and visceral reaction to it. A reflex that reduces the barrier to empathy, and helps us to express solidarity with victims of tragedy.
Kia kaha is a Maori phrase that translates to “stay strong”. It takes strength to stand in the face of indifference, malice and violence. I personally want to put out a call and suggest that we all have a moral responsibility to stay strong in the face of this, and to help others do likewise.
In doing so I want to reaffirm the Club’s core values of Integrity, Perseverance, and Compassion (Makoto • Kon Ki • Jin). We stand as a collective that values diversity and stands with the vulnerable against those that promote fear and violence as tools of their politics.