On Leadership

Last Friday 15 March 2019, the worst terrorist event occurred in NZ history. It was a horrible event committed by a foreign person living in NZ. As the events were still unfolding, PM Ardern had an opportunity to show leadership by calming people and bringing unity to NZ.

Instead, she used racially charged language in an attempt to incite hate towards a race of people as well as slinging further hateful language at a group of people in the shooting sports community. Her words prompted hateful action as a local shooting club was burned to the ground in a night time arson attack. Fortunately no one was killed.

A young mother in Masterton is being charged with inciting racial disharmony with comments on facebook. Whatever she said, if it was derogatory to the Christchurch terror victims, was cold and insensitive at best. Government is prosecuting her under the Human Rights act 1993 part 6 for inciting racial disharmony.

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0082/latest/DLM305478.html

Every person commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to a fine not exceeding $7,000 who, with intent to excite hostility or ill-will against, or bring into contempt or ridicule, any group of persons in New Zealand on the ground of the colour, race, or ethnic or national origins of that group of persons,

This is exactly what the PM did on the day of the attack. By calling the terrorist a white supremacist she used hateful, divisive language in an effort to connect all white people to the terrorist action. She then went on to insinuate that NZ sport shooters are a “radical gun lobby” in an attempt to implicate them as white supremacists as well.

Shooting sports in NZ is one of the most inclusive group of people I have ever met. I have shot at club level to international events and have friends in the community of every race and every religion including atheists. Men and women are equally treated and respected based on their skill. Each person I have met is also enjoyed for their unique personality and banter they bring to the events. To call this group supremacist and radical is the most hateful, hurtful and inaccurate statements I have ever heard.

If it were some lone nut making a comment like that it could be ignored. The PM of NZ has no place making these hateful comments since with her platform on an emotional day it divides NZ and creates hysteria rather than calm and unite us as one people.

It is unlikely the PM will have charges laid and even more unlikely to be prosecuted for this since it would require approval of the Attorney General who also made some of the same remarks.

Therefore it is imperative that NZ First withdraw support from the current coalition and form a new government that can provide sensible leadership in trying times rather than the divisive, reactionary and hateful demagoguery attempted by Jacinda Ardern. This is not who we are.