Christchurch Invitation
Plains FM 96.9
Produced By: Plains FM
Programme Website
The aftermath of the Christchurch mosque attacks in 2019 produced a sense of unreality; that “this is not us! This is not Aotearoa New Zealand. These things don’t happen here.” That same aftermath saw a wave of compassion. One response to all of this was the quiet launch of The Christchurch Invitation: Mahia te Aroha (Action the Compassion) – as a platform for inclusive conversations. Listen to “Christchurch Invitation" for conversations with a wide range of people – about identity and what it means to belong. We talk to people who know who they are and see past labels; who may have interesting perspectives from other, cultures and or traditions, or who’ve observed how communities across the world deal with challenges.
All Episodes
Christchurch Invitation - Ep 13: Hassan Hassan – Sharing the Blessing of Education and Giving Back
Published: 23/4/2025 9:00 a.m.
Arriving in New Zealand at the age of 15 knowing virtually no English meant that Hassan Hassan could only watch soccer and not join in. More importantly it blocked the way to the education that was not possible in Somalia. Two years of intense application at Hagley College and a determined focus on the language opened the doors. Now, as he finalises his M.Sc.thesis, focussing on urban resilience and renewal and youth development, his clear aim is to give back to the wider society.
Christchurch Invitation - Ep 12: Maka Mohi – “Finding Your Way Back Home”
Published: 26/3/2025 9:00 a.m.
"Pukehina in the Bay of Plenty is tiny. For Maka Mohi the messages he heard were that elsewhere was amazing; the Māori world wasn’t amazing. A misstep in high school so, at 17, ”thinking I was 24,” he left for big city Brisbane. Temptations: drink, drugs, and a downward spiral. Back in NZ and on the run. And prison. The challenge: to find his way back. To learn who he was and realise he’d been “raised amazing” – surrounded by love, and whanau. And his father’s words: “You’ll always have home.”"
Christchurch Invitation - Ep 11: Temel Ataçocuğu – The journey with pain, and walking for peace
Published: 12/3/2025 9:00 a.m.
At a time when the NZ government is discussing firearms legislation we consider the great harm from weapons in the wrong hands. Temel Ataçocuğu suffered major bullet injuries in the Christchurch mosque attacks. Almost six years on, he speaks about the drastic changes in his life, and on how his traumas can be triggered. He talks, too, about his Walk for Peace; about the sense of safety he feels with his family in Türkiye; and of a quiet longing to be on a small fishing boat in the Mediterranean.
Christchurch Invitation - Ep 10: Tony Green & Sara Qasem: Turning the tables”
Published: 26/2/2025 9:00 a.m.
In a previous conversation, Bariz Shah suggested the tables should be turned and the host (that’s me) should be questioned. I dwelt on that for a while, then asked Sara Qasem to be the questioner (There seemed a kind of balance: Sara was my first podcast guest). So this is loosely framed around asking how I came to have the perspectives that I have. And why respond to March 15, 2019 with these podcasts? I’m not sure how well I’ve addressed those questions. We may have to try again!!
Christchurch Invitation - Ep9: Zahra Emamzadeh – talking of Iran, and home
Published: 29/1/2025 9:00 a.m.
We're told that nearly 28% of New Zealand's population were born elsewhere. We come as outsiders, and learn to live in this quieter place where the streets can seem empty. It seems valuable to ask what we 'new' New Zealanders, we 'others' (I'm one) bring with us. What were we taught in those faraway places? What might we miss? Today Zahra Emamzadeh talks of Iran, of Tehran with 10 million people, and the family (and food) that were, and are, precious to her.
