Her initial delivery of the first numbers that were coming in, came as a complete shock, as if I might have mis-heard, or there was some sort of morbid mistake – her dissemination of the facts made me quickly realize that this was a truly horrific day for New Zealand.

At the end of it all, once the initial crisis had faded away into grief and mourning, she was quick to fall into the role of our compassionate leader: a comforting voice in a haze of darkness.

I truly believe that Jacinda is someone the world could look up to and learn from – there was none of the hesitation to please the "good folks on both sides" (of course referring to an infamous event in recent history where a particular U.S. leader with small hands appeared to support what can only be described as pure ignorant evil).

Support for Firearms Reform
I completely support any changes to our gun laws that make this a safer place to live. I also entirely reject the notion that there is a place for semi-automatic weapons in New Zealand, even though there's already been lobbying towards keeping them.

I recognize that there is a need for guns at some level in New Zealand for practical purposes: I myself have been raised around guns on a farm and for hunting, as well as the proper respect they're owed, and how to handle them safely.

I've also been around a few gun clubs, including when my mother frequented one when we lived in Christchurch and I know a little about the competitive "sport" angle.

Basically, New Zealand gun culture typically falls into two categories – the farmers / hunters, and the gun club enthusiasts. With this in mind, I think it would be within New Zealand's best interests to make one large overhaul: a complete public ban on any gun that carries multiple rounds.