NEW ZEALAND HONOURS ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ BRAVERY OF 10 DURING CHRISTCHURCH ATTACKS

Thu 16 December 2021:

Wayne Maley, a New Zealand road worker, was one of ten people honored on Thursday for saving lives during a deadly attack on two mosques in Christchurch in 2019.

On March 15, that year, a gunman opened fire at two mosques in the city, killing 51 people.

“The courage demonstrated by these New Zealanders was selfless and extraordinary. They have our deepest respect and gratitude for their actions on that day,” said the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern. “Each of them put their life on the line to save others. If not for their collective actions, the loss of life could have been even greater.”

Two Muslim worshippers who charged at the gunman at different times in an attempt to stop the massacre were each awarded the New Zealand Cross, the country’s highest civilian honor.

Dr Naeem Rashid was posthumously awarded the New Zealand Cross, after he disregarded his own safety to challenge the attacker in al Noor mosque. As the gunman came into the main prayer room and began firing shots, the congregation attempted to flee, but Rashid ran at the gunman.

Rashid’s wife, Ambreen Naeem, said in a statement she was grateful for the award. “Today we can’t see him, but he has spread his message of peace and love, all over the world.”

Abdul Aziz was also awarded the New Zealand Cross for also displaying great courage and bravery challenging the gunman. Aziz shouted provocations at the gunman to get him to refocus his attention on him, with the intention of preventing further loss of life. Aziz’s actions deterred the gunman from re-entering the Linwood Islamic Centre and ultimately forced him to flee the mosque.

“To be honest with you, I couldn’t even have the time to think about anything, I just wanted to get that guy, that coward,” Aziz told RNZ on Thursday.

While Aziz hoped no one would ever have to get an award again for helping save their community from terrorism, he acknowledged it felt good to be honoured. “It means a lot to all our community and all the Muslims and for me too, because all those times we’ve been the target, and this shows that people are with us.

“It feels good, like you’ve done something good in your life.”

Ziyaad Shah’s bravery shielding another worshipper with his body in al Noor mosque, while the gunman shot at them, hitting Shah twice, was acknowledged with the New Zealand Bravery Decoration.

Lance Bradford, Wayne Maley, Mark Miller and Mike Robinson were awarded the New Zealand Bravery Medal. “They placed their lives at risk, bravely searching for victims, assisting them and moving them to safety, while the gunman was active in the area,” Ardern said. “On a day of such terrible loss and suffering, the actions of these 10 individuals demonstrated the humanity, decency and compassion that New Zealanders value and hold dear.”

Maley, who was one of the first people on the scene, said he hoped the award would bring him some closure.

“Though we couldn’t do a lot, (…) we did save some people, you know,” he said. “We helped people out, but some people shot too many times died.”

Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet Rachel Hayward said the awards were a way for New Zealand to acknowledge the recipients’ courage.

“I think for everybody involved, this is a day of really mixed emotions,” she said.

“I think it’s wonderful to be able to acknowledge the courage of these people. But it’s also a really difficult day and these were terrible events,” she added.

After pleading guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one count of terrorism, the gunman, white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last year.

The award winners will be honored at a ceremony early next year.

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