ZM's Fletch, Vaughan & Hayley - ZM's Fletch, Vaughan & Megan Podcast - March 18 2019

Episode Date: March 17, 2019

This podcast is dedicated to everyone affected by the Christchurch Terror Attacks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ZM. Hit music. Lives here. Fletch Warner Megan. The podcast. Thanks, Hanyu. Good morning. Welcome to the show, Fletch Warner Megan. Good morning. Morning. Very different feel to how a show usually starts. Far more sombre in New Zealand today after the events on Friday and the couple of days since. And it'll be a very different show today as well. Yes. We're going to be talking to people throughout the morning,

focusing on the helping and the healing side of what happened, not the hate. I know, because there's been a lot of that, hasn't there, sadly? Focusing on that. Well, it's the cause of it, isn't it? It's because the hate was the cause of the whole thing. Onwards from, I guess, the point is we've got to look to heal and we're going to help where we can.

We're going to talk to various people throughout the morning. If you're a parent like me, then one of the biggest things was like, what do you tell your children about this? I know, because do you even tell them? I took them away from the news because my wife and her dad were watching it on the news. As you know, you do want to stay informed and know what's happening. But I just, yeah, kept taking the kids outside, kept getting them to do other things. I don't know, just, yeah, how do you even begin to tell a seven-year-old and a four-year-old

that that sort of hate exists in the world when they've never experienced it, never seen it, never come across it? Yeah. So we're going to talk to someone later in the show who Nathan Wallace is his name, how to tell your kids and what you need to tell them. Right. After the events of the weekend, it is nice to know that the world is thinking of New Zealand

in this tough time. Lots of tributes around the world. I woke up on Saturday morning and hearing from friends in America, even friends in Colombia, and I didn't, I mean, I guess at the time I didn't think, but it was headline news everywhere. Worldwide. Sadly.

So the Empire State Building in New York City, they paid tribute to the victims of the Christchurch attack. The Empire State Building remained dark. So the lights were on, but the rest of it was in blackout as a tribute. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower had just like minimal lights on it.

It remained dark as well as a tribute. In Finland even, the Congress Hall, it's a big building. They shone a vivid blue light to commemorate the victims. The Canadian flag and the Peace Tower was at half mast. Sydney Harbour Bridge, half mast. And you would have also seen the Opera House. Did you see that?

Yeah, that was a nice touch. Just had the fern on it. Yeah, that was incredible. So it's nice to know around the world um yeah people are thinking of us so celebrities and um lots of well-known figures around the world have paid tribute um to new zealand after the weekend's events and um drake in paris was doing a show he even stopped down to say a few words. I want you to know that when there's terrible things going on in the world, you know, we can still look around this room tonight

and see something beautiful because we got all people from all races, all places, all religions. And look, and we live here showing love tonight. So I want to send my love to all the families that are affected. We're praying for you. And I want to spread more love just like this across the world. And of course, Paris was, they darkened the Eiffel Tower as a tribute to New Zealanders. And the Queen sent out a message. She said, saddened about the appalling events in Christchurch today. So obviously this was on Friday. Prince Philip and I send our condolences to the families and friends

of those who have lost their lives at this tragic time. My thoughts and prayers are with all New Zealanders. Barack Obama, he tweeted Michelle and I send our condolences to the people of New Zealand. We grieve with you and the Muslim community. All of us must stand against hatred in all

its forms. He actually did a different post on Instagram, Barack Obama. And I want to find it. It was so, as we've come to expect from Barack Obama, it was so brilliantly worded. Oh, here we go. Oh, no, this one. Sorry. It says, oh, no, basically what you said.

Everyone, every single one of us, every colour, every creed has a daily responsibility to rally against hate and bigotry in all of its forms and to stand up for what is good and decent and true. Yeah, he nailed it, really, didn't he? I miss him. I do, too. John Legend, the killings in New Zealand are so horrific and heartbreaking. This white supremacist terror movement Zealand are so horrific and heartbreaking.

This white supremacist terror movement is so destructive here and abroad. We need to unite against it. Nick Jonas, sending my thoughts and prayers out to New Zealand this morning. My heart is broken for the victims and all those affected by this horrible act of hate. Chris Hemsworth paid tribute. Much love, New Zealand.

My heart goes out to all those involved in this tragedy, victims, families, friends. Mark Ruffalo, he said white supremacy is a global enemy and it must be stopped. It's racist, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic and completely deranged ideological view of

the world. These people are terrorists and must be treated as such. That was another thing people around the world commending Jacinda for saying this was an act of terrorism because generally when white supremacy is involved, people are very reluctant to use the word terrorism. And they might say it's a hate crime or they might say it was a horrible crime

that stopped use, but it is, it was. It was an act of absolute terrorism. Exactly what it was. Sonny Bill William as well posting to his Instagram. Yeah, he did this on Friday night. He posted a story to Instagram. Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Just heard the news and I couldn't put into words how I'm feeling right now.

Just sending my duas to the families. Apparently there's close to 30 people dead. Everyone that's been killed today in Christchurch, yeah, just sending my duas to your loved ones. Inshallah, you guys are all in paradise. Deeply, deeply sad and that this would happen in New Zealand. Of course, Sadiba William is of the Muslim faith. He converted a few years ago.

So that was his reactions. And that was in the early days. He said they're nearly 30. And now we know the number stands at 50 at the end of the weekend. So things got even more dramatically worse than could have been expected even at that time. Yeah. Now the events in Christchurch on Friday, horrendous. And one of the terrible things about it was someone was going to use it for some sort of publicity of their own cause.

Political gain? Yeah, political gain. And the first person to do that and put their hand up was Australian Senator and official dickbag Fraser Anning. He released a statement that pretty much blamed the Christchurch attack on Muslim immigration. It's not even worth your time reading it. It's not even

worth looking into. The guy is an absolute piece of shit. The moments after this took the time to do an official press release from his office, which surely now he should lose. There are calls now for his resignation. The Australian Prime Minister has come out and said, look. Even prosecution, eh?

The Australian Prime Minister mentioned prosecution. Well, after the events of, was it Saturday or Sunday? Egg Boy. Saturday, Saturday morning. A hero we need after this terrible couple of days. Yeah, this Fraser douche lord was giving a chat to some TV crews and behind him lurked Egg Boy. A 17-year-old who is now being held up as a hero

against hate. So he slammed an egg on this guy's head the very least of what he deserved after what he did moments after 40 people had lost their lives. And he turned around and punched this kid in the face twice. Was it a slap first and then a closed fist?

I couldn't believe that when he turned around and did that. And then his white supremacist supporters held this kid in a chokehold and got a few boots in. So Egg Boy I guess because he cast the first egg, will face some sort of charges.

Assault charges. But they're saying that he can, the senator can be charged, right? Yeah, he can as well. Well, they both can be, I guess. So his name is Will Connolly. And just because obviously we're going to hear more about this, there is a crowdfund page that has been set up to cover his legal fees. Oh, that's something I would donate to.

Yeah. It says money for egg boy. This money will go towards legal fees and more eggs at the moment. More eggs. $35,500. Brilliant. He has actually come out and said that he's like, this money, I want

to send it back to the victims of the Christchurch attack. So people are donating to help him with his legal fees, but he wants to give it back. So last night, the last tallies I heard for victims and families, what was it, four or five million? Six.

Was it about six million this morning? And that's just one, isn't it? That was just million. Six. Was it up to six million this morning? Wow. And that's just one, isn't it? Yeah. That was just one collection thing. I don't know, multitude. I logged on to do some online banking last night and the bank I'm with, BNZ, said they were doing a collection.

Yep. And you could just donate easily online. So, yeah, I know there's multitudes of collections going forth. So hopefully that number will be up, and it's a hard thing you want to do something, money's not going to, you know, solve the problem. But you want to take away the problem of money. Yeah, exactly. If you can take away one part of the problem, it's a little less to worry about on a whole. But yeah, still reeling, absolutely reeling about it. Still can't believe it happened

in New Zealand. And I know there's a fair bit of talk about people not surprised that it happened in New Zealand with, you know, the underbelly of white supremacy that we all turn away from and ignore. But I can honestly say I don't experience it in my everyday life. Yeah, but we live in a bubble where we don't associate with people that, you know, we would never. And given the fact that we are white, we would never have been on the

end of somebody driving past in a car and screaming something racist at us. So it's a real eye-opener. A horrible, horrible, life-changing eye-opener. It is important. If it doesn't happen to you, it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Exactly. And it doesn't mean it's not your problem

because this is our country and we've got to all rally together to get rid of this sort of evil. Yeah. FBM, the podcast. FBM. We are joined on the show now by a person that we practically call a friend of the show, has been for a long time. Rahul is on the phone who actually knew people who lost their lives over the weekend. Good morning, Rahul.

Good morning, guys. How are you feeling? Well, it's a very hard question to answer. Yeah, I guess don't know is the best, but how are you? Give us a little bit of background. Tell us a little bit about yourself, Raoul. Yeah, well, I guess just for everyone, it's been a tricky few days to navigate and you know, we're all kind of just heartbroken but for me you know, I'm a Kiwi who's born in Hamilton

and my family's lived in New Zealand for the past 35-40 years and so I attended Friday prayers at Oruhu Mosque which is our local mosque. And I guess to contextualise it, Friday is kind of like our Sunday church equivalent. So the most people are there at the mosque at the time.

And I was praying next to my dad and then got back to work. And yeah, just saw this unfolding in the news. My dad stayed back, so I texted him to say, hey, are you all good? And he said, yeah, the police have just come in and shut the whole place down. So it's kind of, it's really surreal to see everything unfolding live, I guess, as I used to waking up and seeing things happen and seeing things happen live in a small country, it's quite confronting, really. So as a member of the community and a person of the Muslim faith,

what's it been like over the weekend for you guys since it happened? Has there been – have you felt the love, or is it still just a moment of absolute shock? Yeah, well, I guess just trying to navigate through everything. I guess the prayer meets I've been to and people I've spoken to, the kind of underlying thing is we're all kind of heartbroken and devastated. And just because of how this happened,

this happened in a place of worship, and these people are going to pray and find peace for it to happen. But I guess we're also grieving for not just the ones that passed away, but the families who have torn apart. So it's been very difficult to comprehend all of that. Outside of that, it's been kind of wonderful to see the support of everyone in New Zealand banding together and just reaching out and supporting one another.

I've heard from friends who probably haven't spoken to me in a few years just saying, how are you going? Really sorry to hear about this and if you need anything. And that's been a truly special moment. So, yeah, and you know, everyone's grieving, so they're kind of, we're all in the same boat and it's together. Well, that's what I wanted to ask you was,

what can we do? You know, we all want to support the community and what can we do to help?, we all want to support the community and what can we do to help? Right, yeah, so I guess outside of the normal kind of things, obviously to give a little and then, you know, you can donate blood and support a lot of these counselling and mental health phone lines because it is kind of a traumatic experience for a lot of people.

But I guess specific to Muslim faith, just anything. At the end of the day, we're all New Zealanders and we're all human beings, and this has affected everyone in New Zealand. So I guess just checking with your neighbours, checking with your friends and family to see how they're going. It's been a lot of distressing images, and it's a confronting time for everyone,

so just be there for everyone like we've been and just check in and see if someone needs a hug or a shoulder to cry on and just chat to people. And it's been really, you know, I guess the underlying thing has been really positive to see people reach out like that. So just keep it up. Love, one love.

Yeah, that's right. You know, we are one. We are one, yeah. Islam means peace and that's all everyone wants right now, you know. So let's just keep this together. Let's just keep supporting one another, and it's really galvanised our little nation, and let's just keep this moving forward.

Well, you're part of our FVM family, so just personally, if you need anything, if your family need anything, just you only have to ask Thank you, thank you and thanks for being I guess such an inclusive show and providing everyone with a platform and like I said you know it's not just for the community who's grieving

but we as a nation are so if anyone wants to talk, if anyone wants to reach out or just whatever you can do that you think might help someone, please do it. And, you know, we always think of these people, and we're kind of upset we've lost some wonderful people.

But, you know, we can remember them the best way we can, and we just keep working together as a nation. Awesome, Raul. Thank you so much, man. It was a piece of art that echoed around the world and kind of encapsulated a moment when everybody was struggling. How to process and put what happened on Friday into words. It was a simple hug between two people and it said below,

this is your home and you should have been safe here. The artist joins us on the phone. Ruby, good morning. Good morning. This went absolutely crazy, didn't it for you? Yeah, yeah. It's been unbelievable actually. It's a fairly simple drawing, but something about it was just so powerful in the moment. I guess the thing about art is that it often speaks to people who can't, you know, quite summon the way to speak.

So I guess, first of all, thank you. Thanks for doing that and making it freely available for people to share. Oh, no, thank you. Yeah, it's funny with art. Like, you don't have to understand anyone else's language to get it. You know, just an image can portray so much and obviously connects with people across the world, which has been incredible.

Because I guess what the events of Friday unfolded and you thought, well, I guess I need a way to express myself. Did you ever think this would happen? Because I think I saw the image and we shared it and you had like maybe 2,000 or 4,000 followers and now you have 57.8 thousand followers yeah it's um it's definitely not what I was expecting um I just you know I could see people on my own um social media feeds kind of trying to put what they were

feeling into words and I was feeling exactly the same. And, yeah, I just usually do drawings to kind of express things generally, and this was, like, one of those moments where I was like, oh, my goodness, what is happening, you know? And then, yeah, it just took off pretty quickly, which is crazy. Because I saw a Taika Waititi shirt, eh? Yeah, yeah, I know. That was unbelievable and I think in any Other situation I would have been pretty Excited about you know

That but really what I thought when I saw That was how wonderful that it can Reach people on his platform You know that so many more people that might need it So yeah And when a guy who Literally makes films And tells amazing Stories is literally makes films and tells amazing stories

is struggling for words and uses your art to get his message across, that's going to be pretty flattering. But, I mean, we all know you didn't do this for any other reason than to express yourself for your art. So I guess just thanks on behalf of all New Zealanders who were struggling to get across how they were feeling. And your art summed it up so beautifully. So thank you so much.

Thank you. Yeah, no, it means a lot. And all of the kind messages I've got have meant so much to me. Like, it is overwhelming. So thank you. Awesome. Thanks, Ruby. All right.

Cool. Thank you. Now, it is important, I guess, to note that there is help available, especially for those in Canterbury. And, Intern A, just quickly, you mentioned in the news that there are counsellors on standby. Yeah, so through the Canterbury Charity Hospital, there's going to be 30 professionally trained counsellors

and psychologists that are offering up some free help. Fantastic. That's so important. Joining us on the phone from the Mental Health Foundation is the Chief Executive, Sean Robinson. Good morning. How are you? Good morning. Sean, this obviously when something the magnitude happens like it did on Friday in Christchurch,

that's a massive strain on people's mental capacities to sort of like even begin to comprehend what's happened and what's some tips that you might have for people just to begin to work through it or that could help people who have never dealt with this so close to home before? Sure. I mean, it is.

It's a terrible tragedy. And I think, you know think up and down the country it is affecting people very emotionally. Of course, those that were directly involved, the families involved, my heart goes out to them, really. But I think the number one thing is to accept that it's okay, that it's alright to feel emotional about this, to feel upset about this, to have strong feelings about this and also that that can vary really widely from people so some people may actually feel quite numb or

feel quite distant and not feel much at all. And again, that can then lead into people feeling a bit guilty. The bottom line is, and we certainly know this sadly from things like the Christchurch earthquake, that people's reactions are going to vary a lot, but it's a very important first thing for people to give themselves permission to feel whatever they're feeling. Struggling against it actually can just kind of make things harder to deal with. Then I guess the first line of support for people

is to connect with people around them, to make sure that they are talking about how they're feeling to their family, their whānau, their friends. Many people are going to be going into work today and they'll be feeling whatever they're feeling. I know, for example, that Employment Assistance Programme, that service is putting on extra people in Christchurch, it's flying extra people in,

expecting that there are going to be a number of people who are pretty upset during the workday one way or another. So definitely connect with one another, look out for one another, sort of check in with each other about how we're feeling. You know, do watch out for the basics. So, you know, make sure you're eating healthy food, you know, try and get as much sleep as you can,

all of those kinds of things. But I think the other thing is that this will happen in waves for people. So initially, particularly in Christchurch, I think there's a sense of people pulling together. I think across the country you have this strong sense of people wanting to show compassion, wanting to do what they can and having memorials. And I think that can create a really strong positive sense. But then a few weeks from now, we're going to wake up and this is still going to be, you know, something that's happened.

And that's when sometimes a sort of sense of emptiness, you know, for some people it can really push people into feeling quite depressed. You know, that's when the hard yards can sometimes come in because in many ways, you know, things will never be the same and that can really impact on people so again if you're feeling really deeply affected then there are a range of of options do reach out there is a there's a national free counselling service that you can text or phone 1737 anytime, 24-7. So, you know, from today or anytime, people can reach out to that. People can see their GP. Again, you know, keep talking to one another, keep supporting one another. Yeah, and I think that's so important because, you know, I even had a cry last night, but then you feel a bit guilty because I don't have a reason to call that number.

You know, you want to keep it free for people who are directly affected. But I think it kind of directly affects everyone in New Zealand. Well, absolutely. I mean, yeah, every day since Friday I've woken up and suddenly remembered because to a certain extent my world has changed, not nearly as much as the people directly affected, but it has. And I know friends with young families who have been really, really upset because they identify so much with some of the victims.

So it's legitimate to feel those feelings. We shouldn't feel somehow that we don't have a right to have feelings about this. And that's, I think, quite important because if we push them down or somehow suppress them, you know, that only can, you know, that's not a good thing for our health. Yeah. Okay.

Well, thank you so much. I think, yeah, that's the main point about this is talk to someone, talk to anyone, reach out to people around you. So that text number again is 1737? That's right. Text or phone, 24-7. Excellent.

Thank you so much for chatting to us, Sean. No problem. Bit of backlash this morning, and rightly so, Trade Me, selling a lot of automatic weapons, semi-automatic guns. Yeah. They have said that they are looking at this. The listings that have obviously just been there. Who knew?

I think a lot of us were living in New Zealand bliss about New Zealand's gun laws. Currently 132 automatic, semi-automatic and pump action shotguns for sale. Do you know I've clicked on some of these listings? I'm in shock. Here's a semi-automatic shotgun. Listen to this in the description.

Says here, note, we've had to make the base plate on the seven round mags fixed to keep the police happy. So that means that it can only contain seven. Only take seven. So you can't put another cartridge in. Yeah, because I know, yeah, my dad's got a shotgun for, it doesn't look anything like that, by the way, but it was, he got it for duck shooting season.

And when he got it, they said, oh, we're not going to be able to keep it at eight. And he was like, oh, that's fine. You don't need any more than that. What do you need any more than that for? In the description, ideal for competition shooting and pest control. I'm sorry, but we don't need these guns. I honestly thought they were, they've been banned. The attitude around that needs to change.

And apparently it is. Yeah, but they're looking at it. The attitude even. Oh, yeah, the attitude. The attitude around that needs to change. And apparently it is. Yeah, but they're looking at it. The attitude even. Oh, yeah, the attitude. Of the law is the attitude as well. 100%. Yeah. One man appearing in court today, he is appearing for,

he's been charged under the Films, Video and Publications Classification Act and will be appearing in Christchurch District Court for sharing the video of the attacks on Friday. The police have said anybody in possession of the video of the shootings, which was disgustingly live streamed or found to be disturbing, it could face imprisonment. So that is something to be wary of. People were sharing that the other day. I had friends working in media on Friday that told me that people were posting that link

to their business website and making comments using fake profiles. So they were having to actively put on more people to delete these posts of people live sharing the link and also making comments pro white supremacy. The anonymity of that doesn't surprise me because it's the gutless wonder of, you know. Yeah.

And I hate talking about the negative, you know, the hate out there, but I think we obviously are living in ignorant bliss. We need to address it because we all need to take a stand against it. We need to know that it's there. We can't just look away anymore. Oh, 100%. Just because it doesn't affect you doesn't mean it's not happening and it doesn't mean you shouldn't be doing something to stamp it out.

And, I mean, right afterwards at an Auckland railway station, two women of the Muslim community were accosted. These are two sisters. They were told to go back to the effing country. This happened in Auckland after the Christchurch situation. So, I mean, it just makes me feel sick, to be honest. Yeah, don't. It's not something that we should stand for

and it's certainly not something that we should just let happen passively around us. You've got to call out the hate. Hell yes. It's not only whether you and yourself are racist or not. You can't have it around you. This is hate of all any hate. Islamophobia, homophobia, racism,

bigotry, anything. Sexism, anything. It's so sad that this has happened and it's made us all realise we shouldn't stand for this anymore because we've all been witness to it and probably just been like, oh, awkward, and then walk away from a situation. But yeah, I don't think.

We can't do that. No, can't do that anymore. This sort of stuff's got to be publicly shamed when it happens, where it happens. Yeah. Welcome one, welcome all to the Fletch, Vaughan and Megan podcast brought to you by Spark. Get four gigs of bonus data on Spark's $49 prepaid value pack. Now, on with the podcast.

I mean, horrible, horrible situation that New Zealand, we find ourselves in. But it's always heartwarming to see the good that comes out of these things. And the businesses that are rallying around in Christchurch, around the Muslim community, around the community in general, and one such business is Theo's Fisheries in Rickerton. They organised a halal food drop, which led to over 1,000 Cantabrians helping. And joining us this morning from Theo's Fisheries is Yotti. Good morning.

Good morning. Good morning, guys. So how did this all come about? Obviously, we're just shocked and devastated on Friday night. And after the Prime Minister's press conference, my wife was just sitting there and she just

wanted to do something and she came up with the idea and pretty much immediately, as soon as she put up the Facebook page, people got behind it and the next morning we're just inundated with people wanting to help. So this is not, sadly, this is not something new to Christchurch because Christchurch really showed its colours after the earthquake. A city coming together, a country that just kind of sat back in awe at this little city that could and rallied together and got together.

But this time it wasn't, you know, nature that was taking on Christchurch. It was, you know, a guy who harnessed hatred. So do you think it feels a little bit different this time around, Yoddy? Yeah, it absolutely does. Definitely does. It's dead right. But we knew, and I was saying to my wife, and I was like, you know, this is, you know, we've done this before.

We've kind of felt like this before. And we knew what the people at Christchurch are like. And that's exactly what happened. Everyone just got behind it, and we were just completely overwhelmed with lines going down the side of our building. Everybody just jumped in and helped out. And what really stood out at the end of the day was not only were we helping, you know, the poor families that have been affected, but we were actually helping the people at Christchurch as well and giving them something to contribute

and feel like they're, you know, helping those people directly as well, which is something we just didn't even think about until we were reflecting at the end of the day. So, yeah. Do you think that a general feeling in Christchurch at the moment is kind of a bit of helplessness? Absolutely. A lot of helplessness, shock, a lot of anger as well.

You know, that's happened to us. You know, something like this has happened to us again. But, you know, this isn't who we are. The people that came in on Saturday, that's actually Christchurch. And we, you know, the world needs to see that. You know, we know what we're like, but that's actually Canterbury right there is just the support and people wanting to help. That's what we do.

And we just kind of facilitated things, and it just blew up. It was crazy. Nice. Awesome. Well, are you still, for people who haven't yet helped out but would like to, are you still for people who haven't yet helped out but would like to, are you still putting the packages together? Yeah, so basically

we will continue to do so. We'll just be communicating with the council liaison and with the leaders of the community. And basically from here on out, if people just want to look at the Christchurch Mosque Support

Halal Food Drop Facebook page it'll be pretty much just we'll just be targeting specific things that they'll be needing just to carry on in the future so probably not so much food anymore it'll be things along the lines of nappies and maybe school supplies just the stuff that they really will need to continue on.

You know, just, you know, try to make their lives a little bit easier and just, you know, that kind of stuff. Amazing job, Yotty. Yeah, thanks. Thanks for joining us, Anil. Incredible, man. Just thanks for stepping up, man. So cool.

No worries. Thanks, guys. It's been a pleasure. FVM, the podcast. FVM. If over the weekend you're like me and you've got young kids And the news of Christchurch's Attack on Friday was everywhere

And you wanted to stay informed You wanted to know what the latest was You wanted to know how you could help It was pretty hard to avoid Listening or seeing Things while your kids were around I spent a lot of the weekend Getting the kids outside,

taking them away from the TV where it was, you know, on the news and everything. And now I would like to know in the coming days when, you know, Indy's at school and kids are talking about this. And it will be talked about, like, how to handle that, what they need to know versus what's just a lot of unnecessary weight to put on children of all ages. And joining us on the phone now to tell us about that is Nathan Wallace. Good morning. How are you?

Good morning, mate. I'm good. How are you? Not too bad. What's your background in this before we delve into what we want to talk about? I'm working in child trauma. I was originally a teacher and then I retrained as a child trauma specialist. So I did that for about 15 years. That works with children

that have been through all different types of trauma and how to heal that, basically, in a nutshell. And then most of my, the rest of my backgrounds were in neuroscience. I teach professionals and parents

all about the brain and how the brain works. Awesome. So obviously the dealing with the more intense trauma for children who are, you know, physically involved or lost family members is something that we'll probably be best out with in small groups or, you know, in one-on-ones. Yeah, absolutely. For people who have children asking questions, how much is the right amount to tell kids? And, you know, is it age dependent? Is there a certain age where, you know, best to just avoid it?

Yeah, it is certainly age dependent. It's not so much that there's a certain age because the parents are going to know that. It's about your kids' developmental understanding. And you just want to give them, I think the two things that come to my mind is that first you've got to validate. You have to validate their emotions, that it's normal to feel that way, that it's normal to be a bit scared, that other people are scared as well. There's no point denying the emotion because that just makes the emotion

increase. So validate it by naming it out loud, yep, that was a really scary thing to have happen, but then end with a resilient statement. End with a statement like, but the police responded really quickly and the bad man's in jail. Hundreds of thousands of people responded. You talk about the police and you talk about the in jail. Hundreds of thousands of people responded. You talk about the police and the... You talk about the heroes more. So the kids are left with a sense of hope. Right, so focus on the positives of the hero. Are the services there first responders

and the people who are helping afterwards? Yeah, just focus on the resilience. Because if you as a parent are like, yeah, this is really tragic, but I know we're going to rise above this, that gives them security. If you know it, then they can know it as well. Because kids do pick up on that. I mean, there's an unspoken bond between parents and their children.

Parents do pick up on everything that adults going through as well, don't they? Yeah, they do. So giving them some sort of explanation. I mean, you don't want to dump things on children. You don't want to offload them with too much explanation. They're children. So, yes, I mean, my grandson was there for the weekend with me, and so he swore all he knew was that there's a bad man with a gun.

So I'm not going to talk to him about Muslim faith and stuff. I'm just going to say, yep, there was a bad man with a gun, but the police will call him really, really quickly, and he's in jail, and now everybody's helping all the people that are sad. That's the only explanation I have to give to a four-year-old. Right. So just answer the questions they've got but don't unnecessarily dump too much on them.

That's right. Don't unnecessarily burden them with it. At a time like this, what you want to do is exactly what you said, really. Go outside and play with the kids. The way the brain works is that something like this sort of speeds up the brain, if you like, and so that puts them into survival brain. So what you've if something like this sort of speeds up the brain, if you like,

so that puts them into survival brain. So what you've got to do is sort of slow down that kid's internal clock. And that's not through video games and media and everything coming at them full on. That's through playing Monopoly and going outside and playing and interacting with people. So what you did was exactly right.

Just get them outside and play. That'll slow down their internal clock and help them to deal with it a whole lot easier. Awesome. Well, thanks so much for joining us. And I mean, that's only the tip of the iceberg with how to deal with stuff like this. So really appreciate your time this morning.

Good as, mate. Awesome. Thanks, Nathan. Joining us on the phone now, and firstly, in our introduction, I just want to say this is a very brave and courageous thing to do to talk to us this morning about this. We're joined on the phone by Mark firstly in our introduction I just want to say this is a very brave and courageous thing to do to talk to us this morning about this. We're joined on the phone by Mark from Christchurch. He is a

member of Christchurch's Muslim community and has lost friends and family in the attack on Friday. Mark, thank you so much for chatting to us today. Thank you so much for calling me. How this is, I

excuse my stupid questions, I'm excused my stupid questions. I'm kind of lost. But how has the weekend been for you? What's been happening? Look, first of all, I would like to sort of send a message to all my Muslim and brothers and sisters out there. As a Coptic Christian and Christchurch, I'd like to say to them,

which means may God grant you some peace in this really difficult time. Look, it's been really, really challenging to wrap my head around it all. You know, it's been really tough seeing people affected by such an awful situation really. Yeah, I think as a community coming from Egypt and being in the Coptic Christian community, you know, we come from a collectivist place where, you know, one person affected affects us all, whether it's in a happy sense or not, you know, in a bit of a sad sense. So the pain caused has been felt on a bit of a wide level and it's affected a lot of our families and it's been quite heart-wrenching for all of us to, you know, see this happen.

Is this something that surprised you? So in New Zealand, have you experienced any of this hatred before? Because I think like a lot of us maybe we're living in ignorant bliss and we like to think that we were, you know, a great place for people to immigrate to. But from your standpoint, have you experienced any hatred before? Look, it's something that we've had some conversations about. I had some conversations about. I had some conversations about it on Saturday when I went to the mosque on Hagley. Just seeing a lot of people there and

had quite a few chats to people that come from similar backgrounds. And I think New Zealand's been a really great place to live for us. It's been a home for us for a long time. You know, for me, for example, I've been here for 15 odd years. It's been my second home, really. You know, on a water level, I think museums are a really nice place to live, but there are always, I guess, subcultures within a water culture that may have more extreme views. So some of us, you know, may have experienced some of that, I guess, subculture, you could say, of racism,

but it's not prominent in terms of it's not an everyday thing, but it is something that does exist within society. And I'm so sorry, Mark. I mean, I can't even find the proper words, but I hope that over the coming days, you feel more love than you do hate from the people of New Zealand. You know, it's, you know, it is an awful situation, but I also, you know, look at the way that the community is responding to this. And there's just a massive sense of unity, you know, all of us sort of linking arms together when I think about, you know,

the manaakitanga that we show to each other, the aroha, you know, it's really come out on, you know, when I went to the mosque on Saturday, there were people standing in circles, praying and playing some waiatās, and, you know, I think that sends a message on a wider level that this is a place where people cannot

be distinguished and some of these terrorist acts are not acceptable here and it's not going to divide us so you know it has been really tough but I think the response from the community has been really really

appreciated by people but yeah I guess for some people at the moment it is a really challenging time and it's about supporting them to get through it. Thanks so much for having a chat to us we realized that this soon after the event it's a very it's very raw it's's very raw. So thanks for having such an eloquent chat. Thank you, guys. Kia kaha e rau. This is one of New Zealand's darkest days. It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack.

To the Muslim community within Aotearoa New Zealand, I stand beside you with my head bowed and my tears have been flowing knowing that nothing I say or do will offer much. My heart goes out to the Muslim community of New Zealand and to Christchurch. May you find peace in this tragedy and feel the aroha of New Zealand for you. We love you and you're so welcome here. I'm so sorry that it has taken such an event to show you that. Our thoughts and our prayers are with those who have been impacted today.

Christchurch was the home of these victims. I really hope that the victims here eventually feel safe again because we really want them to. To any Muslims here in New Zealand who may be scared to go out in traditional dress, I'm going to be that weird white lady smiling at you if we make eye contact. It's just my way of letting you know that I'm an ally. Our hearts are breaking with you.

You are welcome here. You are wanted here. You're loved and you will be supported. You're as much a part of this country as I am. We were not a target because we're a safe harbour for those who hate. We were chosen for the very fact that we represent diversity, kindness, compassion, a home for those who share our values.

And those values, I can assure you, will not and cannot be shaken by this attack. Apologies don't change anything, but I am so sorry. I won't be praying for any change, but I promise to take action wherever I have the opportunity to. This is not the Christchurch we know. This isn't what our country is about. We know this tragedy isn't you. We know New Zealand have been so hurt,

but you will stand together and you will recover. Christchurch, we will get through this. We've had some hard times and I know we will rise up again with love, compassion, strength and kindness. Keep your loved ones close and spread kindness.

Our community is stronger than hatred ever will be. We can all come together and become better than this and stronger than this. To New Zealand, may this be a defining moment in our history, but not only for the tragedy that it is, but for the change it makes to our attitudes. May we be more loving, accepting and compassionate from this day on. We are a proud nation of more than 200 ethnicities, 160 languages, and amongst that diversity, we share common values.

And the one that we place the currency on right now is our compassion. I love you and I'm proud this happened. He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. Kia kaha. Kia kaha. Kia kaha. Kia kaha and know that you're one of us.

You are us, you always will be us. You are us. You are us. They are us. Joining us on the phone right now is Scarlett Swetanovic. She is our Newstalk ZB News Director in Christchurch. Good morning, Scarlett. Good morning, guys. Wow.

So these are always the days of breaking news that are always the most unusual to be working in media, for our aspect of media, because we don't usually have to deal with it on the fly. But you guys cover the news. So what was it like on Friday when all of this was unfolding and there was lots of details but no one was really sure what was fact and then the video surfaced and what was it like in the midst of it all?

How did you separate, I guess, what you could run with and publish versus what you couldn't? Yeah, that is one of the really hard things when there's a breaking news story like this, because you're getting a lot of information in, but it's actually really hard to get official information quite quickly. So we were told really early on that there'd been a shooting or a stabbing on Dean's Ave,

which is where the mosque, the main mosque was, where over 40 people were killed. And we sent some reporters to the scene. We actually had somebody in town at the climate change students rally going on and police came to that and said that people needed to get out of town immediately. And I think that's the first time we realised that something quite serious was going on, that it wasn't just a disorderly incident that was happening on the side of Hagley Park. So there was a lot of information and that's been over the weekend.

But those first few hours, yeah, it's really hard to make sure what we're reporting is accurate. We don't want to scare people or make them think that they need to be aware of things that aren't actually happening. So you want to make sure that you're sending out information and that people are keeping safe, but without freaking everybody out. How do you get on, because I know, I mean, I'm finding it quite hard, how do you get on because there was a lot of disturbing content, especially on Friday, and just with the amount

of emotion and details that you especially get as part of being like in the news media, how are you coping with that? How is everyone coping? I think, you know, we're obviously all aware of that video that was doing the rounds on social media. And in those first few hours, it was everywhere. And I guess just a reminder to people that it's actually an offence to distribute that or possess it.

So you can actually go to prison if you're sharing that sort of thing. So it has been classified as objectionable by the chief censor. So, you know, you want to keep away from watching those sorts of videos, but also being here on the ground in Christchurch, there is a lot of emotion. There is a lot of people wanting to pay their condolences and respects to the victims. So they've had an area in Christchurch on Rolleston Ave that's the official kind of memorial site where people can bring floral tributes and cards and that. And that has been absolutely streams of people

attending that over the weekend. A lot of people in tears and a lot of people just saying that they're turning up to show that, you know, New Zealanders and Cantabrians stand together and that they want to show compassion and support one another in the community. So there's been that site. But then, of course, there's the two mosques where the shootings were. And both of those have attracted a lot of people over the weekend as well, just people coming along and standing at the cordon and just crying and lots of just silence as well and just, I guess, letting it sink in what's happened. So it's been a reporter, you know, you hear a lot of stuff,

you get a lot of flack about how some things are reported, but I think our team here has been approaching people, you know, with a lot of empathy. And it's amazing how many people want to tell their stories. I think that's one of the things that stood out again. A lot of people have wanted to talk about their friends or their family members that died at the mosques. And also people that were in the mosques themselves

have also wanted to talk to us and tell us what happened and what was going through their minds when they began to hear the gunshots ringing out. So it's a real honour to get to tell those people's stories as well and to make sure that you actually get the human side of it as well because there's lots of police press conferences and official press conferences with the Prime Minister and the police and the coroners.

So I think it's really special to be able to tell people's stories as well. How does it feel different to the Christchurch earthquake, which was another major event that would have been really hard to cover at the time. Yeah. So I was down here for the Christchurch earthquakes and actually don't live in Christchurch anymore, but came down to cover this. And it's just a totally different feeling in that this is, you know, human evil that has created what happened on Friday, whereas the earthquake was out of our control. And, you know, it's still really hard to comprehend everything that's happened. But it does feel incredibly unfair that Christchurch has been hit once again by something so tragic.

And seeing the news coverage around the world, like this event, again, has put Christchurch on the world map for such a sad, sad reason. So some of the big news channels like CNN and Al Jazeera have been having back-to-back coverage over the weekend of Christchurch. And that's really hard to see yet again. But, you know, Cantabrians have been through a lot. So there is a lot of support that is out there now, mental health support, and people are being told

that if they do need to speak to counsellors or there are trauma teams that are available for the schools, that they should use that and actually make sure that they are reaching out if they need to. Well, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us today because I know it's very busy. From Newstalk CB News, that's Scarlett Swetatovic. Thank you.

Welcome. She has been covering the events in Christchurch. TVNZ reporter Jordan Oppert, good morning. Good morning. How is the feeling in Christchurch this morning? Yeah, I've got to say it's rather odd. I usually go for a walk around Hagley Park in the mornings, and I did that this morning because I couldn't sleep as well.

And, you know, usually there's kids riding their bikes to school, walking to school. There's none of that today. They're in cars. You know, parents are dropping them off. Yeah, it's a bit of a – it's odd. It's really odd. I've got to say the flower wall,

which you've probably seen pictures of near the Botanic Gardens, there's a lot of people, it's odd, it's really odd. I've got to say the flower wall, which you've probably seen, Pitcher Dog, near the Botanic Gardens, there's a lot of people streaming through there. You know, you've got the world's media set up there, so there's just stations on stations. Yeah, it's a very unusual feeling here in Christchurch. Yeah, I can't really describe too much more for you on that

one, other than that it's not back to nothing's back to normal yet, and I think people are still trying to digest just what's happened. And what's the police presence like this morning? We've heard that there's helicopters flying about. Yeah, so the helicopters weren't all night last night. So I think a few people would have managed, hopefully, to get a bit more sleep than usual because other than that, they've been going 24-7 and they're relatively low

so that you can hear them humming all night. So they weren't out all night as far as I'm aware, but yeah, there's a lot of police out on the roads. You know, at each corner you've got probably six or seven at each corner and then you've got them just monitoring around, you've got them driving around, you've got them on their motorbikes. You don't really see too many police on motorbikes around here, but you've got heaps of them out.

I've also seen some defence troops out, so they're just helping with the presence. So yeah, there's a really strong presence around, particularly from the CBD out towards Linwood, that whole area. Yeah, there's a lot. Does that make you personally feel better? Do you think that's easing the minds of Cantabrians? Yeah, I think it is. It is comforting.

And, I mean, you see lots of people talking to them as well. And, you know, they're so friendly. They're talking to everyone, especially kids in particular, just giving them a bit of reassurance. I must admit, though, on the day that it happened, I can't, it's quite a bit of a blur what kind of happened. We just went in and did our job. But I do remember there being so many police,

AOS fans, you know, just at the works, and they were flying in every direction. So whilst you felt very safe that we had so many policemen out there, they kind of didn't have, they were just going in every direction, and that almost made you feel unsafe. I think some people have felt unsafe

with the helicopters too, but they just need to remember that's there for public reassurance. The helicopters aren't up for any other reason other than to make sure that everything's safe. And so I think they're trying to get that message out too. For people who are living here, do not be freaked out by

this presence because it's going to be here for a while yet. Right. And police as well getting a lot of home baking. You name it. You name it. I've been stationed at the Linwood for most of the so that's where seven people

were shot and it's just a constant stream their car's full of baking through the back but I've got to assure you they actually do pass it over, I saw them heading down and everyone's stopping to get food they've got their booze buses set up where they're keeping all their, like, you know,

their teas and coffees, their toilets in there. That is full of baking. They've got their own cafeteria and they've been sharing it around too. So trust me, they do eat it. That is so nice that people are doing that and thinking about them. So how is it?

Yeah, I know, it's lovely. On a personal level, how are you feeling? Like, how has it affected you covering the situation? Yeah, I suppose it's, without getting upset, yeah, it's really tough. Like, I mean, yes, sorry, second. The other day, I mean, I've only just moved to the six o'clock news.

I used to be on breakfast and nothing. I had a chat with my boss before I started this job 10 days ago. And, you know, we talked through some of the things I'm going to have to cover. And I don't think anything could ever prepare for this. I mean, as soon as it happened, we heard a shooting. That's all we were told. And I thought, oh, you know, this will be another shooting. Possibly, you know, I don't even know how to explain it.

But I thought, oh, you know, one or two people not on this scale. And when we drove to Hagley Park, you know, there were people everywhere. And, you know, like without getting too graphic, I just saw this man running across Hagley Park to the hospital with a little girl in his arms. And I know for a fact she wasn't alive. Just stuff like that. And, you know, this doesn't happen.

And it's really tough. But, I know, this doesn't happen. And it's really tough. But, I mean, we had a job to do. And I then went out to Linwood. And out there, there was no one around. So it was just me and our cameraman by ourselves until, you know, our rolling coverage finished. And I hadn't even spoken to my family in Auckland. I hadn't spoken to anybody. I hadn't spoken to my flatmate.

But I just didn't realize, like, nothing had sunken in just how serious it was. But, yeah, no, it is tough. I've got to go, so hopefully I'll get a few more hours of sleep because there's been some sleepless nights. But, no, yeah, I mean, we've just got a job to do and I think these emergency services deserve all the credit rather than any of us because they're doing an incredible job. And saying that, Jordan, having watched a fair bit of news coverage

over the weekend, you handled yourself so professionally saying that, Jordan, having watched a fair bit of news coverage over the weekend, you handled yourself so professionally. Yeah. I would have been a mess. Yeah, you did amazing throughout the live broadcasts. You really handled yourself top notch. It was, yeah, congratulations. Thank you for that. Well, thanks so much for talking to us.

Yeah, I know how you're feeling. And yeah, I agree. You're doing a great job, Jordan Oppert. Thanks so much. Yeah, thanks so much for talking to us. Yeah, I know how you're feeling. And yeah, I agree. You're doing a great job, Jordan Oppert. Thanks so much. Yeah, thanks, guys. Look after yourself. The whole show this morning, it's a completely different mood

and a completely different gear to our usual Monday morning show. Due to what happened in Christchurch on Friday, we had a big chat yesterday, didn't we? Which is really unusual to see me doing any form of work on Sunday. Who do I bill for that, by the way? But we had a Skype. We just talked all about how we were going to approach today's show.

And heck, I don't know, the mood of morning certainly doesn't feel anywhere near over. So I guess this is going to be affecting the flow of everybody's days upcoming in New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has spoke this morning about a national day of mourning. And that sounds like that will be something that we as a country do in the near future, which I think would be a great idea. Yeah, so we can do it together. There are people in professions that we just wanted to take a quick moment to commend, to say thank you, and also just to pay a bit of respect

for how Friday was handled around the place. We've talked to journalists today out of interest to see how that was all handled. Also, as a parent of a child at school, I've got to commend and take my hat off to teachers who on Friday faced the wild uncertainty while children were in their care of what awaited for them outside of school grounds. Schools went into lockdowns. A lot of the centre of Christchurch was cordoned off until at least six o'clock at night. And teachers, while scared for themselves

and scared for the unknown that awaited them, they had to have upwards of 20, 30, some more kids who had to stay at school after school. And that would have been a terrifying thing and I've heard so many teachers handled it with grace. Well, Producer James, who did you know that had kids in lockdown? Well, my brother, his

daughter who's about eight years old. Right. So yeah, it was a pretty crazy time on Friday hearing everything that went down in Christchurch. So what were they told when they were in school? So they were told basically that there were bees outside,

so they had to get kept in the school hall. See, that's what I'd want to be told. From about 2 o'clock through until about 7 o'clock at night was when they got released. So, I mean, having that bunch of school kids in a school hall, you obviously don't want to panic them or something like that. So they were told they were bees. And then obviously once they got home,

then their mum and dad said... Made the call. Made the call of what they thought to say. And on that as well, soon, Nathan Wallace, who deals with this kind of thing, on what you should tell your kids. He's like a child educator. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, and it's down to the individual child. So I guess they wouldn't even feel comfortable explaining to kids on a whole what the situation is because you don't know where each kid's at. But yeah, thank you to the teachers. What an amazing job. Also, thank you to the first responders, New Zealand Police, Fire, the ambulance service.

Who were running into the midst of it. Yeah. I mean, that's the role of the police, and it's not a role that they have to face very often in New Zealand, and certainly not on the scale. But the police were just watching the live reports and just seeing police armed and dealing with traffic and telling people there was a cordon and trying to get everything.

People moved to safety. And the two officers that apprehended the gunman, that could have gone a number of ways, but I think the way that was handled was commendable. And ambulance staff that had to deal with things, I'd say quite different to what they're used to dealing with when they turn up to a scene. I'm not imagining that happens so often. And then

of course they were transported to hospital where doctors and nurses, who I can't commend enough on their day-to-day job. The job they do any given day of the week is outstanding work. But to deal with that sort of intense pressure, the...

Emotion. Emotion. The fact that they were on lockdown because they weren't sure whether or not there was going to be an attack on the survivors that had been taken to the hospital they weren't sure and to stay professional and keep working amazing, can't commend enough also the armed offenders, I know that they were out in force but spread pretty thin

because there was two sites, multiple, you know, confusing reports as to what was happening. And we don't often hear from them because they move, you know, behind the scenes more than out front for anything. So, and to the services and companies that have offered support in any way, shape or form since. It's so good. It makes you so proud to be a New Zealander

to see how we respond to these sorts of things and they are us was the big saying to come out of this and I hope the bonds of New Zealand only grow stronger despite this person whose name we've chosen to completely ignore and never mention

said to wedge a divide between us, and it hasn't worked. New Zealand's become more resilient and more strung a bond than ever before. ZM's Fletch, Vaughan and Megan, the podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast, why not give ZM's Bree and Clint a listen too?

Subscribe on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Hit me say, live here. ZM.