Motions — Attack at Bondi Beach—Condolences

I seek leave to move a motion without notice to express condolences to Australia and the Jewish community over Sunday’s attack at Bondi Beach.

SPEAKER: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There appears to be none.

Rt Hon CHRISTOPHER LUXON: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I move, That this House offer its condolences to Australia and to the Jewish community following the shocking loss of life and the casualties inflicted in the attack at Bondi Beach on Sunday, and that this House commit itself to fostering dialogue and respect between faiths because hatred, violence, and extremism should never be tolerated or condoned.

Sunday’s attack on innocent and defenceless civilians, enjoying a day out at Bondi Beach, has rocked Australia and the Jewish community worldwide. Because New Zealand shares so much in common with our trans-Tasman neighbour, we have felt the shock and grief like it is our own. A place beloved by many New Zealanders—some who visit Bondi, and others who live there—has been desecrated. It joins a growing list of places where extremism has shown its ugliest face. As we learn details of each victim, each individual, who was either celebrating Hanukkah with their community or just having a day out at the beach, the horror and the senselessness of Sunday’s acts are reinforced. We ask ourselves, “Is anyone safe anywhere?”, and we ask ourselves why the post-Holocaust vow “Never again” appears to be wilting over time.

Anti-Semitism is on the rise. People were shot dead on a beach on Sunday just for being Jewish. It would be wrong to suggest that there are no answers to this scourge. In the outpouring of shock, trauma, and grief over Sunday’s tragedy, all of us can see our common humanity. The traits and values that unite us can be, and are, greater than the differences that divide us. We must, even in our despair, never forget that. Amongst the worst of human behaviour that we saw on Sunday, there were also examples of the very best. That is the light with which together we can push away the darkness. Aptly, Hanukkah itself is a time when light shines in the darkness. There is a way for people to live side by side, each practising the faiths in which they believe, or none at all, and respecting others’ rights to do the same. That is possible and especially so in New Zealand. Ours is a multicultural country; a nation known for its courage and trying hard to address the wrongs of our past; a country whose geographical isolation means that we haven’t imported the problems that come with mass uncontrolled migration; and, perhaps, because of an abundance of resources and our two degrees of separation, we are a country that is more tolerant than some others. But we cannot simply take for granted the triumph of good over evil. It takes effort, it takes vigilance, and there is always more to do.

All of us, of every faith or of no faith, should heed Sunday’s tragedy. That is the only way that good can come out of it. The worst thing that we could do in response to Sunday’s attacks is to rhetorically ask, “What is the world coming to?” and to shake our heads or consider it an Aussie problem or accept that extremist violence is a hazard of contemporary life, while hoping that we ourselves are never ever caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. We have far more agency than that. For some good to come out of this terrible event, we need to commit to action, to working at a local level and as a nation to valuing and promoting tolerance and respect. The late Jewish historian and philosopher Elie Wiesel, who survived incarceration in a concentration camp, said, “The opposite of love is not hate but indifference.” I believe that New Zealanders, with an ethos of fairness hard-wired into our DNA, are not indifferent to suffering, and when we see it, we need to call it. In a world that is increasingly fractured and self-centred, New Zealanders need to stand up for our shared values. In New Zealand, every person—every person—is entitled to live without fear, reprisal, or discrimination for expressing who they are, who they love, and what they believe. In this House, we need to be honest about the difference between legitimate political debate and hatred directed at people. There is a line between criticising international events or Government policy and the targeting of an entire community because of their identity or faith. That line is unambiguous. It has flashing lights, and it shouldn’t be crossed, because others may be emboldened by the words that we choose.

Anti-Semitism is one of the oldest forms of hatred in history, and it remains one of the most dangerous. It mutates, it disguises itself, but its impact is always the same: fear, exclusion, and dehumanisation. Let me be absolutely clear: anti-Semitism has no place in New Zealand—not now and not ever. Confronting anti-Semitism is not just about favouring one community over another; in fact, it’s actually about upholding the values that protect every minority and enhance all of us. New Zealand’s Jewish community is small but it has contributed, and it continues to contribute, so much to New Zealand. I want all of our Kiwi Jews hearing this today to feel safe putting their menorah out on their window tonight to celebrate their Jewishness and to share their light with all of us.

As Prime Minister and leader of the National Party, I stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, which feels shaken and vulnerable right now. I say to the community: you belong here, you are valued here, and we will protect you. I stand against anti-Semitism, and I hope all political leaders do the same because we are all responsible for building and strengthening an inclusive, diverse, and tolerant New Zealand—one in which all New Zealanders can be safe, and one in which we’re all proud to call home. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I stand today to express my deepest condolences, and those of the New Zealand Opposition, to the victims, the families, the loved ones, and to everyone across Australia, and of course to our Jewish community here and around the globe. We are all devastated by the tragic, anti-Semitic terrorist attack that took place against families gathered on Bondi Beach to celebrate Hanukkah, where 15 innocent people were killed and more were injured.

Australia is close to home for all of us. We all know people who live in Australia. We all have some connection. Bondi Beach is a place of deep connection to so many Kiwis. So many of us have spent time there. So many of us have family there. So many of us have visited there. It feels very, very close.

Australia, like New Zealand, is a place of many faiths and many cultures coming together as one, a place where everyone should be free to worship, safe from hate, and safe from harm. Unfortunately, and tragically, too often recently, this has not been the case. We’ll learn more over the coming days. It’s clear that two hateful individuals have undertaken a heinous act of terrorism. It was perpetrated against innocent people celebrating their faith.

On Sunday, families who went to the beach for what should have been a peaceful and joyful event had their lives for ever changed. This is a time of year when people should be coming together, celebrating with each other, and, instead, families are having to process pain and grief on a level that few of us could comprehend. We wrap our arms around Australia and around the Jewish community. These are dark hours, and we are surrounding you with as much aroha as we possibly can.

Terrorism and violent extremism is a global issue, but for us here in New Zealand it is, sadly, something that we have had our own recent encounters with, and the March 15 terror attacks in Christchurch are still a raw memory for many. Together, we have to stand up against violence, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all of its forms. Everyone has a role to play to ensure that there is no place for terrorism and for violent extremism.

Terrorism is designed to divide us. It is designed to turn us against each other. It is designed to create more polarisation. The terrorist attacks are nothing to do with immigration; they are terrorist attacks, and they should always be called out as exactly that. That kind of hatefulness should never be confused with any legitimate debates that are taking place around world events. They should never be blamed on anyone other than the people who did them, who are the terrorists, who must be held accountable for their actions, and they should never be excused on the basis of any other form of blame shifting. Terrorism is designed to divide us, and we should never ever buy into that.

We should find common ground. In polarised times, it is never more important for us to find common ground. As we gather together over Christmas, it’s so important that we continue to enjoy the company of people who view the world differently to us, because that’s how we avoid polarisation, and it’s how we avoid deepening division. It’s so important that we all redouble our efforts, now more than ever, and that includes all of us in politics. We all have a role to play.

I want to acknowledge the Australian first responders and the community members who stepped up so bravely. I understand that some of the first responders were from the Jewish community itself, and I particularly acknowledge them for continuing to undertake their duties with diligence at a time of such heartache, when it must have been so difficult.

I want to acknowledge the members of the community who put themselves on the line and stepped in selflessly. It’s people like these that we should be holding up in times like this.

I want to acknowledge the New Zealand Police and the work that they are doing right now to provide additional security and comfort for those in our communities who need it, and particularly our Jewish communities here in New Zealand. Thank you to them for all the work they are doing to provide safety, security, and reassurance.

I want to acknowledge the Australian Government’s joint decision across the states to take action on firearms. It is a reminder that firearms can do so much harm, and there is no room for any complacency in that regard.

I’d like to close by once again expressing our grief. To the victims, to their families, to their loved ones, to everyone in the Jewish community, and to all Australians, we stand with you.

I should have put the question that the motion be agreed to.

E te Māngi, tēnā koe. Tēnā koutou e te Whare. Two nights ago, hundreds of people gathered together on a beach in Sydney’s Bondi to celebrate Hanukkah, along with millions of others across the world. Two men with guns opened fire on those who had gathered to mark their faith, mercilessly killing 15 people. This was an act of targeted, racist, anti-Semitic terror towards the Jewish community. Murdering innocent people is terrorism.

Hanukkah carries the message of light over darkness. In this reprehensible darkness and senseless violence there was a flicker of light. Ahmed Al Ahmed tackled and disarmed one of the murderers. As Ahmed sits in a critical but stable condition in St George’s Hospital in Sydney, people over the world have seen what it means to be a light in the darkness. It means protecting innocent people from horrific violence. It means intervening in harm towards other human beings. It means risk and it means sacrifice. It means seeing the humanity in others, even those that you don’t know and don’t understand.

I don’t profess to be an expert, but I know from our communities here in Aotearoa that the practices of both Judaism and Islam share the foundational principle that saving one life is the equivalent to saving all of humanity. In the past two days, as reports of both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia have intensified, the world has been asked when we will see safety for persecuted communities. Our safety, like our liberation, is intertwined. This is simple. But if human history and this specific moment tells us anything, it is not easy.

Every human being deserves to live free of terror and oppression. Every human being needs water, food, shelter, and connection. Every human being deserves these human rights: those you love and those who you don’t understand, and even who you don’t like. This is what is means to be human. These rights aren’t handed out for good behaviour. We get them because we are human. These basic rights are the basis of our solidarity. This is our common ground. These are the necessary building blocks for a safer world. Real freedom does not and cannot come from the oppression of other people.

In the past two days, Rabbis for Human Rights have said—and I quote—“Hanukkah teaches us that light is not passive. It is an act of courage. In moments of fear, violence, and injustice, we are called not to retreat into silence, but to increase the light through compassion [and] solidarity, and unwavering commitment to human dignity and the sanctity of every life.”

We know what we stand against and what we unequivocally condemn. We condemn the murder of 15 innocent people—a child, parents, friends, partners, human beings—practising their faith and their values. This House must condemn all such senseless violence, but more than that, we must know what we stand for: we stand for truth and peace and love and justice.

As we grieve the loss of these innocent human beings, and we send our love to their whānau, their friends, and their communities, it is the work of us here on Earth to build that real safety. This means understanding that all of our fate on this little planet is interconnected. We need each other; more than that—we are each other. That is the light that we must carry into the darkness.

I rise in support of the Prime Minister’s motion and to acknowledge those 15 people who perished at Bondi on Sunday afternoon, their families who grieve them, those who remain in hospital trying to recover from the assault that they suffered, and Jewish communities not only in Australia but around the world who have been terrorised by this act.

As others have noted, perhaps because so many Kiwis feel a connection to Bondi, it feels like this could have happened here. I first learnt of the attack from a mother in Auckland. We were at a Christmas barbecue and she was receiving text messages from her son, who heard the shots firsthand. There are not many degrees of separation in this world.

But there’s another reason why it felt close to home for many New Zealanders. The Kiwi Jewish community has, sadly, like so many around the world in the past two years, received an intensification of hate mail, threats, and harassment since 7 October 2023. Horror and events in the Middle East have bled into anti-Semitism at home. Sadly, some politicians have allowed it to happen, and, shamefully, others have encouraged it.

Just this weekend, a sign was displayed outside the Jewish school Kadimah, on Remuera Rd in the Epsom electorate, and it said, “One-State Solution, Palestine for Everybody.” Is there anyone with the gall here who can deny the resemblance of the slogan on that sign to chanting, “Palestine must be free, from the river to the sea”?

The harassment of Jewish people here and Australia has intensified during the course of the conflicts in the Middle East. No matter your thoughts on that conflict, it is illogical to blame people of the same faith or the same race on the other side of the world for those events. In fact, it’s not just illogical; it’s bigoted.

If we are to overcome, then we must recommit ourselves to universal human rights, the idea that each person is deserving of inherent dignity. We must avoid erasing their value by merging them into faceless members of a group where each member is somehow made responsible for things that other similar people may have done, and they themselves may not even agree with, let alone have made any contribution to. We must rediscover New Zealand exceptionalism: the idea that on the edge of the map we are building a unique society based on respect for each person’s inherent dignity, each person’s right to live as they please and use their time on Earth for their benefit as they judge it, so long as they are not harming anybody else. Only when we recommit ourselves to those values will we truly be able to say that we are on the side of the light driving out the darkness. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I offer these brief reflections, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the leader of New Zealand First, about the heinous events in Bondi on Sunday night. We should not mince our words: this was an horrific and vile terrorist attack on Australia’s Jewish community. We offer our sincere condolences to all those affected, and especially those who had loved ones killed or badly injured in this barbaric attack.

Religious people should be able to gather peacefully to celebrate their faith—that is one of the hallmarks of an open, democratic, and free society—but, in Sydney, just two days ago, they were gunned down by a father and son motivated by anti-Semitism and hate. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in Australia, New Zealand, and around the world at this moment of deep pain. We also stand, at this very difficult time, with the Australian authorities, as they have always done with us in our moments of national tragedy.

Here in New Zealand, we cannot be complacent. We too, in the past few years, have witnessed our own incidents and examples of anti-Semitism, and we should have absolutely no tolerance at all for it. Too often in recent times, rhetoric has been used—whether “from the river to the sea” or “globalising the intifada”—that hasn’t promoted understanding or justice but, rather, praised and raised the temperature and caused division between our communities. That was wrong before, and it is wrong now.

We have always been opposed to the idea of importing far-off conflicts into New Zealand society, especially in ways that create divisions, and we remain so to today. The New Zealand Government wants peace and harmony in our community here at home, and we are prepared to defend it.

Tēnā koe e te Pīka. I also rise to support the Prime Minister’s motion. We mourn with our cousins in Australia and are heartbroken by the anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Bondi. We mourn for the innocent 15 lives lost and stand in solidarity with their whānau and the Jewish community at this time of profound grief. We also send our aroha to all the people injured in this attack and all those who have been traumatised by these horrific actions. We hope all those that are affected are able to heal and make a full recovery.

That this attack occurred on the first night of Hanukkah—a celebration of hope, a celebration of resilience and light—makes this act of hatred all the more devastating. Te Pāti Māori stands with the Jewish community in mourning and remembrance, and our ongoing commitment to peace, justice, and humanity. We must also acknowledge the bravery of Ahmed Al Ahmed, who risked his life to save countless others. Let Ahmed be an example for all of us.

We cannot allow this attack to divide us further. We must hold faith to care for each other and to look after each other, no matter what our culture or religion is. Muslim people are not responsible for this attack. Immigrants are not responsible for this attack. Extreme hatred is responsible.

We must also reject the rhetoric that Jewish people are responsible for the actions in Israel. This attack was fuelled by extremist ideology that seeks to dehumanise and divide us with fear and violence. It’s the same ideology that motivated the March 15 attack in Christchurch.

We have to be brave enough to call out injustice, no matter where it is happening in the world. It is right that we are recognising the tragedy today, but we cannot be selective in recognising tragedies and the loss of human life.

Te Pāti Māori unequivocally rejects anti-Semitism and all ideologies that dehumanise and divide us with fear and violence. We tautoko the words of Dayenu: New Zealand Jews Against Occupation: “As 2026 approaches, let us all recommit to hope over hatred, to combatting antisemitism and all forms of racism, to peace over war, to love over hate, and to our shared humanity to look after each other in Aotearoa.” Kia ora rā.

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Motion agreed to.

Members, I’ve today conveyed the empathy and sympathy of this House to my Australian counterpart in the Australian Parliament. The speeches offered in this motion I think captured well the abhorrence and the condemnation of anti-Semitic terrorism in the attack in Bondi. It expressed our closeness to the people of Australia and the sentiments that most of us would want to express.

Now, as a stand against anti-Semitism and respect for those whose lives have been taken in this attack and for those who were injured in this attack, I ask members to affirm our solidarity with the grief of the people of Australia and to affirm our shared commitment to freedom in all its expression by joining me in observing a minute’s silence.

Members stood as a mark of respect.

SPEAKER: Thank you.