Motions — Tsunami, Boxing Day—Expression of Condolence

I move, That this House express its deep sorrow at the loss of human life and the devastation of communities caused by the Boxing Day tsunami, and express its sincere condolences to all families who have lost loved ones in this tragedy. The Boxing Day tsunami was a catastrophe that took a heavy toll of human life and shattered many communities. While it occurred in the Indian Ocean region, its effects were felt around the world as the death toll mounted in many nations. New Zealand families too were directly touched by this tragedy. Some of our people will never come home and some may never be identified. Others have come home deeply distressed and troubled by what they witnessed.

Around the world, across religions, faiths, and beliefs, across ethnicities and national boundaries, the common humanity of people has shone through at this time of great adversity. New Zealanders have willingly come forward to help in a multitude of ways; from donations for relief through to work on the ground in South-east Asia, and I thank all who have helped in any way. It is my hope that the permanent memorial to all those who have died, those who have suffered, and those who have experienced personal and community loss will be a strengthened sense of community worldwide. I believe it would be appropriate for the House to stand for a minute’s silence at the end of our tributes, in memory of all of those whose lives were taken in this catastrophe.

The National Party certainly supports the Prime Minister’s motion. The Boxing Day tsunami was the kind of natural disaster that none of us would ever want to be involved in. Nine on the Richter scale indicates an earthquake of absolutely awesome destructive power. Some of us felt the small earthquake this morning at 5.4 on the Richter scale; an earthquake of 9 on the Richter scale is some 200,000 times more powerful. As the Nevada Seismological Laboratory has calculated, an earthquake of 5.4 on the Richter scale has the power of 80,000 tonnes of TNT; an earthquake of 9 on the Richter scale has the power of some 32 billion tonnes of TNT, and the effects were devastating, as we all know.

Miraculously, only a few New Zealanders lost their lives, although there are still some who are missing, but the total loss of life ranks this as amongst the most serious natural disasters in the last 100 years. The generosity of so many New Zealanders to help the victims of this disaster, and the efforts of our armed services personnel, police, and civilians make us all proud to be New Zealanders.

I was initially critical of the slowness of the Government to help in this disaster, but let me say clearly that I commend the Government for the aid package it has put in place for the victims of this disaster.

It is New Zealand First’s view that these sorts of disasters should see us as a Parliament speak with one voice, rather than every disparate party rising to add its view. That being the case, New Zealand First endorses the Prime Minister’s comments and sentiments and we support them.

I rise on behalf of the ACT party to endorse the Prime Minister’s comments and to note that the tsunami truly was a horrific disaster that affected people all around the world in terms of lost loved ones. The true horror did not become apparent until some days after the event, so we had the horror of learning more each day about the true magnitude of this disaster. Even now, the devastation and the loss of life are truly incomprehensible. But it was remarkable to see, all around the world, people coming together in their common humanity and offering help and support. The world feels a much closer place after the response that we saw.

We should pay tribute to the New Zealanders—the military, volunteers, aid groups, and Government officials—who have worked tirelessly and round the clock to help. We should pay tribute to every New Zealander who has contributed aid to this cause. We should also pay our respects to the military and aid groups of other nations. I am thinking particularly of the United States of America and the USS Abraham Lincoln—which undoubtedly, by being in position 3 miles off the Indonesian coast within hours of the catastrophe, saved countless lives—and also of the Australian military.

The ACT party endorses the Prime Minister’s statement. Let us hope we never see anything like this again. Let us also realise that it will take years to overcome just the physical loss, and that we will never overcome the emotional loss of such a tragedy.

On behalf of the Green Party, I would like to add our tribute to the people of those six countries who have lost their families, their homes, and in many cases their lives. Our thoughts have been with them ever since Boxing Day. The tragedy reminds us of the enormous forces of nature and of the need to be respectful of them.

I am very proud, as a New Zealander, of the efforts ordinary New Zealanders have made to contribute to the aid effort. I am proud of the efforts our Government has made to send aid.

I just want to tell one little story that I think illustrates the attitude of many New Zealanders to this tragedy. I was rung by a constituent in the Coromandel who said to me: “I’ve just come back with my Indonesian wife. I’ve been over there for a few years. I’ve got a little boat that’s tied up in Java. It’s capable of carrying 2 tonnes of water backwards and forwards along the coast. I want to go back and take water to those people. I know the coast. I know the language. Who can I get in touch with so that I can go and help?”. He had plenty of other things to do in his life, but he wanted to put them on hold and go and make a difference. Many, many other New Zealanders have felt like that too. I want to pay tribute to all of them.

United Future joins with others who have spoken this afternoon, firstly in expressing deep sorrow and paying tribute to all the countries and individuals who have suffered as a result of the catastrophic, unbelievable, and horrific tsunami and associated events; and secondly in commending the response of the New Zealand Government and people to this crisis. I make the observation that at times like this very few of the big issues of the day matter as much. Right across the world we have seen a focusing on the affected countries and the needs of the individuals, children, and families who have been devastated by the disaster. The way in which New Zealanders have opened their hearts through the various relief activities that have been organised is typical of what has been happening around the world. The disaster was one of those events that, thankfully, occur extraordinarily rarely. For all the rest of us who are shaken by its consequences, there is a natural need to respond. I believe that, supported by the Government’s activities, New Zealanders have done our country proud in our response, but that can be little consolation to those who suffer day in and day out and who will have the challenge of rebuilding their countries for many years to come.

The Progressive Party, as part of the coalition, endorses and strongly supports the words of the Prime Minister to the House this afternoon and the actions that the Government has taken on behalf of all New Zealanders to assist the victims of this terrible tragedy.

Motion agreed to.

Honourable members stood as a mark of respect.