The Countdown supermarket in New Lynn, where a terrorist injured seven people with a knife last week, will re-open in the coming days.
The Auckland supermarket inside LynnMall has been closed since the terrorist attack on September 3 while police carried out scene examinations.
On Thursday afternoon, a private blessing was held outside the store by Ngāti Whātua kaumātua.
Kiri Hannifin, Countdown’s general manager of corporate affairs, safety and sustainability, said staff around the country, and particularly the 26 people who were working at the New Lynn store on Friday, were still in shock.
“It’s been really, really hard for them, but also for all of their teammates in that store as well who have been very worried about how their teammates are going,” she told 1News.
“They’re going okay, some probably a little better than others.”
She wouldn’t say when exactly the store would re-open to give staff privacy but she wanted to assure people that the safety of customers and staff was the highest priority.
“We’re just going to quietly open the doors at a certain time tomorrow or the next day and start trading with very little fanfare just so that there isn't overwhelm by journalists or people barging in,” Hannifin said.
“We just want it to be very, very peaceful … that's what we think is the most respectful thing to do both for the community and for our team.”
Thursday was the first time staff had been back at the store, and it marked a “very big, long, very painful healing process for us all, particularly for that team”, Hannifin said.
“We had a beautiful blessing, which the police helped us organise. It was very spiritual and hopefully gave a lot of peace to our team,” she said.
“They were all socially distanced with masks on, and even through that, they all still looked very shell-shocked and with a lot of trepidation.
“I can only imagine how hard it was going back into the store and I’m just pleased they got to be with each other in their own time.”
Hannifin said Countdown would continue to provide trauma support and counselling to staff, on top of the company’s normal wellbeing check-ins.
"Our thoughts remain with all those affected by last Friday’s incident and we are wishing them well as they recover."
She thanked the community in West Auckland, as well as people around the country, for the support they had shown in the past week.
"And it's not just West Auckland and the New Lynn community, but also communities throughout New Zealand. That keeps you going and it makes us feel very supported and loved," Hannifin said.
“I know that the local LynnMall shoppers are pretty keen to go back and look after our team, and vice-versa. I think that will be a good part of the healing process.”
However, she noted Friday's attack was a "particularly hard blow" for staff who were already having to face "really difficult behaviour" from some customers during lockdown.
She said the number of incidents had increased this year compared to last year's Alert Level 4 lockdown.
Since Friday, these have included verbal aggression and racist comments, she said.
"It makes it pretty gruelling. despite the vast majority of people being wonderful, it's those one or two comments you get everyday ... that sticks with our team."
Only months ago four people were stabbed at a Dunedin store. (Source: Other)
Countdown also temporarily removed knives and scissors from sale in its stores on Saturday, as has Foodstuffs.
Hannifin said a decision about whether Countdown would continue stocking the products hadn’t yet been reached. But, they remain off shelves in the meantime.
Islamic State-inspired extremist Ahamed Samsudeen was shot and killed by police on Friday after his rampage.
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