By Jessie Curran of RNZ
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says New Zealand must continue to confront the forces which led to the deadly 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks.
Luxon spoke at a Unity Hui in Christchurch on Saturday morning marking the sixth anniversary of the mosque attacks, which left 51 people dead and dozens more injured.
On March 15, a white supremacist terrorist from Australia stormed into Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre and began shooting as people were praying.
He was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of ever leaving jail.
In his speech today, Luxon told those gathered there was no place for Islamophobia in New Zealand.
"As we reflect on this day we must also confront the forces that led to this tragedy. Islamophobia - like all forms of hatred - has absolutely no place in New Zealand, and it is our duty to challenge it wherever it appears, whether it's in words, policies or in the silence that allows prejudice to fester.
"No one should ever feel unsafe because of their faith name or the way they pray."
"New Zealand is a multi-cultural nation and the diversity of our communities is one of our strengths.
"Our Muslim community brings so much to New Zealand - you make invaluable contributions to New Zealand's social, cultural and economic fabric.
"In the aftermath of the March 15 attacks, your community demonstrated remarkable resilience, turning tragedy into action by working closely with the government, with civil society and with other communities to make New Zealand a more inclusive nation.
"And as a government, we are committed to that endeavour too."
The comment was in response to the coalition, made up of the Natonal Party, ACT and NZ First parties, currently rewriting the Arms Act.
The minister in charge, ACT's Nicole McKee, had previously signalled her displeasure with the previous Labour government's reforms following the mosque attacks, and indicated access to the type of weapons used by the shooter could be liberalised.
Razzaq also asked the government to consider restorative justice.
"For the sake of our community, an opportunity of restorative justice for our community, they haven't had one - it was one of the recommendations."
A Royal Commission into the March 15 attack made 44 recommendations, while a coronial inquiry into the deaths remains ongoing.
The coalition government ended its response to the Royal Commission in August last year, scrapping eight recommendations in the process.
But Razzaq said he met with the Prime Minster last week, and said Luxon promised to do a "health check" on the recommendations.
"The government's commitment has not stopped, it is enduring, I know that," he said.
Luxon rescheduled his flight to India for a trade mission to be in Christchurch at the hui.
