At the time of writing this, 49 New Zealanders are dead and 48 are reported wounded. These people were shot down in a place of peace and worship. It was a calculated, abhorrent act of hate, deliberately done to the people of a city who have already suffered so much over the past decade with two major earthquakes.

As Prime Minister Ardern said, this was our darkest day. The 15th of March 2019 is our 9/11, the day where we lost our innocence and belief that we lived in one of the safest places in the world.

When my wife told me there had been a shooting, I imagined it was like the other incidents that have speckled our past, some idiot with a gun. I had no idea of the scale of the shooting until I turned on the news.

Don’t get me wrong, I remember exactly where I was when 9/11 happened. I still feel the pain of it today. It hits hard when these acts of hate happen in your own back yard. I cried through the broadcast.

Kia kaha, Christchurch. Our hearts are with you. Continue to love one another. This is how we end hate.