It seems that over a month after the March 15th Mosque Shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand that killed 50 people in their place of worship, the world has moved on from the shock it felt in hearing about the tragedy. However, one look at the pages of the current New Zealand Herald website shows that the small island nation is still reeling from the tragedy and bravely continues on in a somber state of mourning. While the comparatively speedy recovery of global morale disturbingly shows how our highly connected world has become increasingly desensitized to tragedy, the event has also revealed the compassionate nature of New Zealand and how the island nation imparts lessons regarding the way that tragedies such as this can be approached.
In the wake of the event, it wasn’t just the incident itself that shocked the world: New Zealand’s response both politically and as a nation left the world in awe as well. As Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, promised just days after the terrorist attack that gun laws would be changed, people took to Twitter and tweeted in jest of America’s continuing response to gun violence. Since Ardern’s promise, entire articles have been devoted to sarcastic comments about how New Zealand didn’t just try “thoughts and prayers” in response, but instead decided to proactively deliver upon tangible promises and make legislative changes. At the same time, people across the country rallied to support the victims by raising funds, attending vigils, and offering to support those that felt unsafe in a way that had not been seen before.
For a country that has seen less than 40 gun homicides in the past six years, many New Zealanders were shocked to hear that their nation of 4.8 million possessed 1.2 million guns. While the high number of firearms has been used by some as reason for why firearm regulations would fail in New Zealand, the comparative lack of gun violence also begs the question as to what makes New Zealand so different from other nations, both in terms of violent acts and the response to them.
To understand the culture that prevails, one needs to understand that New Zealanders have more than the stereotypical laid back attitude that presumptively stems from the beautiful beaches at their backdoor and the inherent isolation from living on an island distant from every other nation. One explanation may be the relatively strong communal ties within the island nation. As illustrated by the somewhat proven theory that there are six degrees of separation in the world and that an individual is “just six introductions away from any other person on the planet”, New Zealand is thought to be even closer knit, with only two degrees of separation. Though some think that this is a rather improbable concept, it is impossible to ignore the fact that New Zealand has within its national fabric an inherent close knit “community feel.”
Anecdotally, I am from Auckland, New Zealand – almost as far away from Christchurch as one could get without going for a swim. When the 2011 earthquakes happened in Christchurch, our high schools took on students from the southern city. I suddenly had students in my classes that previously lived in the distant city (turned rubble), and became part of the united effort of the country to help those that were impacted by the earthquake, without volition.
The response to the Christchurch earthquake exemplifies the very tight-knit community culture that leads a country to deny a shooter his name or moment of fame. In the hours after the Christchurch attack, the live video that was uploaded onto Facebook almost immediately faced backlash. It was specifically condemned by New Zealand police whom recognized that sharing this kind of media only promoted the violence and hatred the video embodied. It seemed that many common New Zealanders also largely shared this sentiment by choosing not to promote this kind of infamy, agreeing with the Chief Censor David Shanks’ decision to rate the video as “objectionable.”
Beyond this unique culture is a globally renowned progressiveness in the political realm. New Zealand is the first self-governing country to allow women the vote, a country with three female Prime ministers in the span of two decades, and recognizably better (because no country has this perfect)Indigenous relations. Especially in terms of leadership, Prime Minister Ardern has received her fair share of praise for her courageous and pragmatic leadership of the nation. While New Zealand has flaws, like every other nation, its population has an equally inspiring determination to improve upon itself and strive to make the country a positive outlier in the global community.
Some feel that there is a negative impact in the media’s focus on Ardern, in that it draws attention away from the incident itself and instead towards the Prime Minister herself. However, there are some benefits that have come from this focus on her. The shootings and her defiantly sincere response, while truly tragic, provide a platform for New Zealand to address issues that have now been highlighted and can no longer be ignored. It also provides a platform for citizens of other countries to ask more of their political leaders by drawing on a strong example of progressive leadership. In turn, it also provides a platform for politicians to ask for this level of response from their own leaders and nations when tragedy strikes. In such a connected global community it seems that these issues are unfortunately a constant- and the responses to them have continuously been less than adequate. We can only be hopeful, however, that New Zealand and it’s response to local tragedy is one that will forever have a ripple effect on neighboring countries and the world as a whole.
By Annalise Crosswell
Please note that opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page.
