Sunday will mark a year from one of New Zealand's most tragic events. Fifty-one people were killed when a gunman stormed two Christchurch mosques on March 15, 2019.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made headlines across the globe for her response to the horrendous attacks, and says now she thinks New Zealander's understand Muslims in a way they never did before.
"New Zealanders feel a responsibility for their safety in a way perhaps many had never given thought to before," Ardern told The Project on Friday.
"That has fundamentally changed."
She says racism is a global issue but Kiwis have a personal responsibility to spread kindness.
"We define ourselves around the fact that we reject people who behave in that way," she said.
"We all have a personal responsibility to weed out the seeds which give root to people growing up believing it's okay to have that kind of intolerance. Because it's not."
Although a year has passed, Ardern says the Government is still engaged with the people who lost the most.
"Don't forget just because a month or two months or three months have passed - don't forget.
"We are still on the ground, still working with all of those families. We are still trying to meet [the] ongoing need and ongoing trauma. Because that will exist for a long time to come."
Watch the full interview above.
