Ministerial Statements — Serious Firearms Incident—Auckland

I wish to make a ministerial statement relating to the serious incident that unfolded in Auckland this morning.

This morning, at 7.23 a.m., the morning commute in Tāmaki-makau-rau Auckland came to a halt. A serious incident unfolded after reports of a person discharging a firearm inside a site on lower Queen Street. Two people have died and also the male offender is deceased. Police have confirmed an officer has been injured as well as five members of the public at this stage. The police officer was transported to hospital in a critical condition, but his condition has stabilised. The four members of the public have injuries ranging from moderate to critical.

I can advise the House that this is not a national security risk, and police are now commencing an investigation into what has occurred. Within three minutes of the incident being reported, the New Zealand Police Eagle was en route. At 7.34 a.m., police had arrived on the scene and the armed offenders squad was there by 7.38 a.m. I really want to thank the first responders—New Zealand Police, the armed offenders squad, and St John Ambulance—for acting and responding as swiftly as they did this morning.

Aucklanders were on their way to work. Aucklanders were at work. In a country like our own, this is the last thing you would expect to encounter on your morning commute or whilst doing your job. But the rapid response from our first responders meant they could move at pace to protect as many people as possible.

I want to reiterate that this appears to be the actions of one individual and there is no wider national security threat, nor are police seeking anybody else in relation to the incident. It’s also important that we acknowledge the number of people we have visiting New Zealand and staying in Auckland currently for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This event has not been impacted and will proceed as planned.

To Auckland, particularly those who were physically injured, witnessed the event, or were within close proximity to this situation unfolding, I acknowledge the impact that this would have had on you.

To the loved ones and whānau of the victims, I know that words cannot heal trauma, but I want you to know that there is much strength to be drawn from solidarity and community, something that we as Aucklanders and New Zealanders offer up in spades. You are not alone in this grieving process and nor should you be. Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui.

On behalf of the National Party, we share the shock and sadness of all New Zealanders who this morning saw downtown Auckland, which so many people know so well, become the scene of a tragic shooting and a huge police response. To see armed police swarming through the area, including regular police, the armed offenders squad, and the Special Tactics Group, was a sight that was both confronting but reassuring. We know that two people who probably went to work this morning will not be going home tonight because they were killed. The impact on their families and their colleagues can only be imagined, and we express our sincere sympathies to those families and their friends. The gunman, who we are told was on home detention for violent offences, is also now dead, and several members of the public and at least one police officer have been hospitalised. To those members of the public who were injured, we send our best wishes for a full recovery.

Let me talk now about the police because, once again, we have seen them put public safety ahead of their own. When the call comes, the police answer it, and they answered the call this morning with courage, with skill, and at least one was injured in the course of that duty. Our thoughts are with him and his family. To all police involved this morning, we say thank you, and to all police families, probably following this morning’s events with their hearts in their mouths, we say thank you also for the support you give. We thank the ambulance first responders on the scene and the hospital staff who are right now treating the injured. Many people will be traumatised by being caught up in this incident, and we trust that support is made available for them as well.

There are many questions needing to be answered about the events of this morning, some of them probably in this House, but today is about the police, about the first responders, and about the victims. Several families’ lives will be forever impacted by the events of today. We will get to learn more about the victims in the hours and the days ahead. Our thoughts are with their families.

I saw a striking picture this morning online of an armed police officer, I think on the roof of the building where the shooting occurred, standing up alone with a rifle as construction workers took shelter lying on the ground around him. That’s what the police did today: they stood up. They stood up for public safety, they stood up for law and order, they stood up for New Zealand, and to them we say thank you.

I’d like to join with other speakers on behalf of ACT in support of this motion. I’d like to begin by paying tribute to those deceased victims and the families of those deceased this morning. To those who have been injured and who seek to recover in hospital, our hopes are with them for a speedy recovery to good health. To all of those workmates who have got up early—as people on building sites do—to start their day and could never have imagined that this could happen, our thoughts are with them too, and we acknowledge that they will be facing considerable trauma as well.

The police and ambulance staff—I’ve often said that the front-line officers of the New Zealand Police are some of the greatest New Zealanders for what they do, what they put up with, and the way that they seem to unfailingly rise to challenges that can happen at any time and are always there. I have no doubt that amongst them and the ambulance staff, who were available from St John Ambulance, are some real heroes and heroism will be identified as the full details become available.

There will inevitably be questions about this incident, but the purpose of asking and answering those questions should be to ensure that we become better, that we emerge with better policies, and that we emerge as a better country. People will ask why such a person was on home detention and able to go to work in spite the allegedly very serious crimes they’ve been convicted of. There will be questions about how such a person, who did not have a firearms licence, none the less had a firearm, and what sort of firearm exactly it was in relation to recent law changes. There will be questions about the state of mental health services and whether he got help he may have sought, because, clearly, the person had had some difficulties.

We should ask and answer those questions, but in good time and with proper information and time to reflect in order that we fulfil the purpose of doing better. That is the correct way to honour victims in a circumstance such as this. Until then, we should do what Kiwis have always done best: wrap ourselves around those who have been hurt badly, egregiously, though no fault of their own—on all sides of this problem today—and make sure that we come out of this as a better and wiser country. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I te tuatahi me mihi ka tika ki ngā mate, i tēnei mamae kua haere ki te pō. Haere haere haere atu rā.

[It is firstly appropriate to acknowledge our loved ones who have passed on to the night. Farewell, farewell, farewell.]

I’m sure I joined with all my colleagues in the House today in shock and sadness at the tragedy that has happened in Auckland today with people losing their lives, people being injured, and people being scared across entire Auckland—Auckland’s central communities. My relief is probably equal to the level of pōuri and sadness and aroha that I send to people who have to bear the news of losing loved ones, of loved ones being injured. The relief I speak about is—probably like many of us, I had a daughter on her way to work in central Auckland this morning who was, thankfully, able to avoid going there and work from home. So being able to understand that that’s just such an ordinary thing to do—to make your way to work—and you expect to come home and not be harmed.

So I also want to acknowledge the police officer who was shot. I think we still should expect that no one should have to go to work with the expectation of being harmed. But I do know that that is a sacrifice that our front-line agencies and forces willingly and generously avail themselves to, and I really, really acknowledge that. I am quite sure that further lives and health and wellbeing have been saved today by the quick actions of many.

As the prevention of violence Minister, I’m aware that it has been confirmed by the police that the shooter had a domestic violence history and offences, and I want to acknowledge the prevention of violence sector and everyone who has been impacted on by violence, who may be feeling incredible trigger and trauma right now. I want to assure people that the services to be able to help people work through that are fully operational and available, as they always have been, and they are particularly aware of the extra need and that they might be called upon right now, including if people only know to contact the police. The police are well set up to refer people to the right expertise and specialist help in the community, and they have those relationships. I’m further aware that violence is never ever OK and that we have big work, together, at every level to do, taking particular leadership from the sector and the experts who know what needs to be done. That work will absolutely continue.

For now, in my office, we will continue to keep abreast of the police investigation—being able to confirm information—but this space right now is prioritised to support people through the trauma, the grief, and the shock, like many of us here are feeling, and to make sure that people know there is help there right now. Many, many questions to come from all of us, and much discussion to be had to understand what the work is ahead of all of us.

I just sum up by also recognising the trauma, particularly for the workplace and the construction sector in general, and I note that migrant communities are overrepresented in the construction sector. When it comes to trauma we are wanting to make sure that there are support services there for everyone who needs them, including those who may not have the deeper community support that we might expect and assume of everyone else.

So I acknowledge all of those needs for this space right now for healing and support, and I thank the Minister for her statement today. Kia ora.

That ends this statement. Sorry, did the Deputy Prime Minister want to respond?

Mr Speaker, I don’t have much to respond with. I think everything has been said from all the contributions today. But I would acknowledge the House for the shared sadness that we feel and for the graciousness in the contributions that were made, and I acknowledge that, yes, across the course of the coming days and weeks, I’m sure there will be questions asked, and there should be when instances like this occur.

It is our role, as a Parliament and as a Government, to ensure that we are providing transparency around what is occurring in our society and in our public spaces, particularly in instances like this. So I do acknowledge the graciousness of all the political parties in the House today.