Societal resilience following terrorism : community and coordination in Christchurch

Abstract

The March 2019 assault on two mosques during Friday prayers in Christchurch, New Zealand, shocked a nation unaccustomed to the terrorist violence suffered elsewhere in recent years. The immediate reaction from political leaders and wider society was to stand in close solidarity with the targeted Muslim community, and a broad recovery process soon emerged which provided substantial ongoing support to anyone impacted by the incident. The authors spent two weeks in New Zealand in mid-2019 with the aim of understanding the apparent societal resilience displayed following the attack, and the ways in which the response was coordinated across different levels of government and civil society. It became clear that effective working relationships among national/municipal authorities and community members/associations established well before the tragedy facilitated communications, cooperation, and the appropriate targeting of support. High levels of institutional trust and authentic leadership enabled an organic, personable recovery process, and represents a pertinent example of societal resilience following an act of terrorism.