‘They are not considering our right to be there’ – Govt cuts March 15 grants

Mariam Gul says it’s her right to know how the Christchurch terrorist “became that beast”. In 2019, Gul’s father Ghulam Hussain, mother Karam Bibi, and brother Muhammad Zeshan Raza were shot dead at Linwood’s mosque – three of 51 shuhada martyred in the terror attack at two city mosques, Linwood and Masjid An-Nur, near Hagley Park.
Gul, who lives in Karachi, Pakistan, attended the first phase of coronial inquest hearings last year, but won’t be attending the next phase, starting in Christchurch next month, which covers crucial issues such as the police granting the terrorist a firearms licence. That’s because Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, on his ministry’s advice, has decided to cut grants available to overseas family members through the victim assistance scheme.
“It’s like they don’t care,” Gul says from Pakistan. “It’s disrespectful, it’s disappointing, and they are not considering our right to be there.”
It’s another shock for the Muslim community which has been left reeling by the change of direction by the Government, after it ended the coordinated response to the terror attacks, rejected some recommendations from the Royal Commission inquiry, and is considering changes to firearms laws.
Indian citizen Ozair Kadier was killed by the terrorist – an Australian citizen sentenced to life in prison without parole – at An-Nur, also known as Al Noor Mosque. His brother Daanesh attended the coronial hearing’s first phase.
“I was disappointed,” says Daanesh, from Hyderabad, India, about families not being offered financial help by the Government to attend the upcoming hearings. “Why not the second phase, especially when the key discussion is around firearm licensing?”
His brother moved to New Zealand for pilot training, was unmarried and unaccompanied by family. The first phase of the inquiry offered in-depth information and insights, Daanesh says.
“We just want to know what had happened.”
He confirms his family will be watching the inquest online.
Goldsmith, the Justice Minister, decided to cut the grant funding on August 14, and overseas families were told on August 26.
Newsroom asked the minister why families weren’t consulted, and whether the decision was made in the best interests of the families, and not on costs.
Goldsmith says: “While I understand the desire for victims’ families to attend the next stage of the coronial inquest in-person, I am advised there is a high-quality online viewing option available for people based overseas and data allowances are available.
“New Zealand travel will continue to be funded.”
A letter to Gul, from the Ministry of Justice, sent on Thursday said: “The minister has made the decision to fund New Zealand-based travel only for several reasons, including financial pressures.”
Ministry of Justice’s chief operating officer Carl Crafar says grants are based on guidelines but “there is nothing in legislation or precedent requiring that once provided, a level of support must continue.
“The community, families and survivors were not consulted, but 16 had indicated they wanted international travel support prior to the decision being communicated.”
Labour MP Megan Woods, a cabinet minister in the previous government who has worked closely with the Muslim community, says they feel abandoned by the Government.
“It’s just another let-down for this community from this Government – it’s piling on top of the cutting of resourcing around immigration, around MSD [Ministry of Social Development], it’s coming on top of the way they feel they’re not being listened to in terms of the changes to gun laws.”
Woods said the Government’s approach was incoherent, as some overseas families would probably attend the hearings if they were granted similar amounts to that being offered to people traveling within New Zealand.
“If I take this back to the reason why we put support in place originally, it wasn’t so people overseas could watch it on their computer screens sitting away from their families, it was so people could actually have a support network around them to help them get through what can be a really retraumatising event.
“We are asking this community to re-live those days of a terrorist attack over and over again through each of these processes, and I don’t think we can ever underestimate the emotional and psychological toll that takes on people.”
Gul, of Pakistan, says it takes a lot of organisation for herself, her husband, and five daughters, aged between six months and 11, to travel overseas. Last time, it took about two months to get visas for New Zealand. Even if there was a change of heart by the Government, she doubts her family would get to New Zealand in time for October 7.
Why is it important she attend? It allows her to connect, personally and emotionally, with the local Muslim community. “Nobody else understands it better, what I have been through, than the people who have also lost their loved ones.”
Gul would like to know how the terrorist got a firearms licence, and who might have helped him. “It’s my right to know how he became that beast, and how he was allowed to be free with all those firearms.”
Her family will have no representative at the inquest hearing. “Nobody is doing anything on our behalf.”
Crafar, of the Ministry of Justice, says victim assistance scheme grants were paid to 244 people so they could attend last year’s inquest hearing. Grants can be used for flights, accommodation, mileage, childcare, meals, taxis and parking.
In total, $3.5 million was paid to 612 people for last year’s hearings, including New Zealand attendees. (Shorter, narrowly focused coronial hearings into the terror attack were also held in May and August of this year.)
Under standard victim assistance scheme criteria, grants to attend coronial hearings are available to families of the deceased and victims of gunshot wounds. In November 2021, then Justice Minister Kris Faafoi decided eligibility should be extended to witnesses present at the mosques during the attack.
Crafar confirms the upcoming inquest will be held in a smaller courtroom than last year. The courtroom used for the first phase had 80 public gallery seats, with prioritised seating for “families of the deceased and the broader victim group”. Proceedings were streamed in two overflow rooms.
The main court was rarely at capacity, Crafar says, and a smaller courtroom, with 32 public seats will be used for the 19-day hearing, before deputy chief coroner Brigitte Windley, starting on October 7.
“The community, families and survivors were not consulted, but the reasons for the change in courtrooms, including that other hearings were scheduled at the same time, was communicated.”