Motions — Türkiye and Syria Earthquake—Condolences

I move, That this House send its deepest condolences to all those who have lost loved ones in the devastating earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria on 6 February, and offer New Zealand’s continued aid and support to the international efforts to assist the people of Türkiye and Syria as they respond to this humanitarian catastrophe.

Aotearoa New Zealand stands with the people of Türkiye and Syria after the 6 February earthquakes. Our thoughts are with the communities, families, and loved ones affected, including significant numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons. I also acknowledge the Turkish and Syrian communities in New Zealand. Watching these events unfold from afar must be unimaginably difficult. We are thinking of you, aroha nui.

The heartbreaking images we see on television on screens and social media show with alarming clarity the level of devastation that has been caused in Türkiye and Syria. The human cost is staggering. In Türkiye, authorities have declared that more than 31,000 people have lost their lives. In Syria, the picture is less clear, but more than 4,500 deaths have been reported. These incredibly distressing figures will, sadly, continue to climb.

The scale and magnitude of the destruction caused by the earthquakes is enormous. Across the two countries, thousands of buildings have collapsed, and many more have been partially destroyed. Delivering relief efforts across such a huge scale is incredibly difficult, particularly when so much infrastructure—such as airports, roads, and viaducts—has also been damaged. These circumstances are, sadly, compounded by the harsh challenges of winter, with many of those left homeless now braving the elements in freezing temperatures and snow.

Last week, New Zealand announced financial support, totalling $4.5 million, towards the response on the ground in Türkiye and Syria. This support includes $1.5 million to support the Turkish Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent, $2 million to be delivered through the World Food Programme in Türkiye, and $1 million to support the UNICEF response in Syria. In addition to financial support, two Fire and Emergency New Zealand specialists are providing remote support to the search and rescue efforts from New Zealand, as part of a connected global team. Fire and Emergency New Zealand is obviously responding to ongoing domestic emergencies in New Zealand, including Cyclone Gabrielle, so we are pleased that they are able to contribute to this international effort as well.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs contacted her Turkish counterpart last week to express New Zealand’s solidarity in the spirit of our ANZAC friendship. Our embassy in Ankara remains in close contact with Turkish and Syrian authorities and international partners. The Government will continue to explore how else New Zealand can assist, and we will be responsive to the needs and requests of the Turkish and Syrian Governments over the coming weeks and months.

I know that New Zealanders will have been moved by the devastation that has been caused by these events. This is especially so given our own experience of living through significant earthquakes. This motion offers New Zealand’s manaaki in support to the people of Türkiye and Syria, whose lives have been so profoundly affected by these earthquakes, and it is also to assure them that we will continue, then, to support them through their recovery.

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

The New Zealand National Party joins the Government in supporting the motion before the House this afternoon. We join the Government in the expression of condolence for the losses suffered by those affected both in Türkiye and Syria as a result of those devastating earthquakes.

The scale of losses and damage seen in coverage from sites evokes in those of us who directly experienced the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes a strong empathy for the suffering of so many people who are mourning the loss of what is sure to be near 40,000 people and who are trying to patch up their lives and see a future ahead of them. We have at least some understanding of what they are going through, albeit on a much greater scale. We recognise the agony of distance that will be playing on the minds of Turkish and Syrian New Zealanders.

As the Minister said, the scale of the aid effort there is quite phenomenal, and the expanse across which that aid has to be delivered is vast. New Zealand will, I’m sure, continue to support international efforts to assist, not only as we are at the moment in the offshore search and rescue but also in the coming reconstruction.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank two New Zealand reporters: Mei Heron and Lisette Reymer, whose work for both TV ONE and TV3 have very much brought into our lives the devastation that so many are suffering in Türkiye and Syria. They’ve worked in very difficult circumstances to ensure that we understand just how big this event is from our own perspective. So, with those words, I commend this motion to the House.

E te Māngai o te Whare, tēnā koe. I stand with the others in this House to express the Green Party’s deep condolences and support for the people of Türkiye and Syria. The tragic and shocking loss of life in Syria and Türkiye is difficult for us to comprehend so far away, and I have to say I struggle to find words that can truly do justice to the depth of human suffering that this disaster has wrought. The images are shocking, showing the terrible scale of destruction, and the death toll which currently stands at about 35,000 is a truly horrific loss of life, equivalent to the entire population of our town of Gisborne.

Beyond those killed in Türkiye, more than 1 million people are displaced. In Syria, which is a country of course already ravaged by years of war, the estimate is around 5.3 million people—larger than the entire population of Aotearoa—many of whom are stuck sleeping outside in freezing winter temperatures. The Green Party urges the Government to put in place emergency measures to assist in the global efforts, to address the huge refugee crisis that this disaster has generated. We ask that the response include the resettlement of victims, support for people in New Zealand whose families have been affected, the extension of visas of people from Türkiye and Syria onshore, and an expanded refugee quota. We do acknowledge the humanitarian relief already provided by the Government and we would urge continued commitment beyond this.

The displacement that natural disasters, exacerbated by the effects of the climate crisis, will cause globally has long been a pressing issue, and Aotearoa must be part of the global effort to reckon with it. Inadequate humanitarian responses in the past have left many in affected regions in poor, temporary, or transitional arrangements which of course has contributed to disproportionate death and injury rates in this particular disaster. We must do better in a world where experts predict over a billion refugees by 2050, many or most of whom will have been displaced by climate change. A compassionate and urgent approach amongst all countries committed to human rights must begin now in response to this disaster.

As I said, the scale of suffering wrought by the quake is enormous but it is individual human stories that really stay with us, such as that of a newborn baby rescued from the wreckage, found alongside its mother who had died. Many of us in New Zealand will feel a connection to the earthquake and to its destruction, particularly those in Christchurch who, of course, know firsthand the damage to lives, and the fear and anxiety that these sort of disasters can wreak.

I urge all of us to hold the people of Türkiye and Syria in our thoughts as we deal with the impacts of our own crises here at home. We must reflect on the urgency with which we must move to create a world where all people are safe and supported, where, as a planet, we extend all the support that we would hope to receive if such a disaster befell our own. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The ACT Party supports this motion and we offer our deepest condolences to all of those who have lost loved ones in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria and in the subsequent aftershocks. We think of New Zealanders with connection to Türkiye and Syria seeing the effects of the earthquakes from afar, and our thoughts remain with the hundreds of thousands of Turkish and Syrian peoples who have been displaced by the earthquakes.

People have lost loved ones, their homes, and their possessions. They will now be processing the shock of what has occurred and wondering what the future will now look like. The impact of this event on lives will become more apparent over the coming weeks as more information comes to light, but it has been reported that in Syria alone, some 5.3 million people may have been left homeless because of the earthquakes. That is more than our entire population, and it is truly hard to grasp that number. Refugee settlements sheltering some of the world’s most vulnerable were also among many of the settlements impacted by the earthquake and the aftershocks, and it’s feared that many will not be able to be protected from the freezing temperatures those regions are currently experiencing.

Efforts to aid those most desperate people have also been hindered by the ongoing geopolitical tensions and continued conflict in Syria. This further compounds the complexity and the urgency of the situation at hand, and shows the importance of a unified international response. The ACT Party wishes to acknowledge the international efforts of States from across the world in response to the event so far—and it’s been truly international. Not only have we seen aid and financial support for Türkiye and Syria but we have also seen significant commitments of manpower. As of 10 February, just four days after the initial earthquake, over 130 international urban search and rescue teams were working in the earthquake-impacted areas of Türkiye, and a further 57 international search and rescue teams were en route.

For many of us New Zealanders who see pictures of the earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye, it will bring back painful memories of earthquakes here in our own country. We know the tragedy, the heartache, and the effort that it takes to rebuild from earthquakes in our recent memory. And as a small State ourselves, with significant seismic activity, we know just how important and valuable the global aid can be in the aftermath. We encourage the Government of New Zealand to continue our aid efforts to Türkiye and Syria. Although we’ve already given much—$4.5 million in aid—we must continue to play our part in the international response to this disaster, and support those who have been affected by it. Once again, our thoughts are with the people of Türkiye and Syria.

I rise on behalf of Te Paati Māori to send our aroha to the people of Syria and Türkiye whose worlds, as we’ve shared this afternoon, were shattered in the middle of the night. People who have lived under the oppression of imperialism and civil war are now living through one of the deadliest humanitarian disasters that the world has ever seen.

On February 6, Syria and Türkiye were struck by two devastating earthquakes. The first happened in the middle of the night while families slept. Sadly, whatever was weakened by the first earthquake was later destroyed by the second. Since then, at least 800 aftershocks have rippled their land. Some of those aftershocks alone are more powerful than the earthquakes that forever changed Christchurch in 2011. To date, 36,000 people have lost their lives. At least 70,000 more have been injured. Over 500,000 have been displaced. In total, 23 million people have been affected. Families, children, and elderly are stuck outside in freezing cold temperatures that are as low as negative 3 degrees, with no homes, trying to recover their loved ones.

Citizens of both nations have been hit so hard by inflation that helping their neighbours with basic necessities has become an expensive luxury. But people are doing all they can—I want to acknowledge the resilience of these peoples, who—despite losing their loved ones, their homes, their everything—have maintained this sense of kotahitanga and love for one another. It is now up to us to match that aroha and manaakitanga.

I was absolutely disgusted this morning to see a cartoon in a major European publication depicting damaged buildings, rubble, and toppled cars with the caption “no need to send tanks.” Aotearoa, we need to show we are better than our so-called allies. We cannot allow these racist and imperialist attitudes to influence how we respond to global humanitarian crises. The Western World has proven its capability for destruction in the Middle East. Now is the time for Aotearoa to lead by example: to transcend politics and pledge all the support we can afford to rebuild and help erase and ease the mamae of the people of Syria and Türkiye. He maungārongo ki te mata o te whenua, he whakaaro pai ki ngā tāngata katoa, tēnā koutou katoa. [May there be peace on earth, and may good thoughts come to all people, greetings one and all.]

Motion agreed to.