MPs have joined for an emotional waiata this afternoon as political leaders addressed the tragic fire at Loafers Lodge in Wellington that claimed at least six lives.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi led the waiata alongside other MPs in the house.
It came after political leaders addressed the fire, with Green Party co-leader James Shaw taking a stance that questions needed to be asked in reflection.
"I am also very, very angry because I do have a number of questions," Shaw said.
"When they say that there is a time that we should be asking questions, I take a different view. Because the questions in my mind are what kind of country are we that we allow this kind of thing to happen.
"What kind of country are we where those people have so few options in life, but to live in substandard accommodation, with a reasonable chance of lethality?
"What kind of country are we, where our firefighters are at risk of not showing up with the most basic of equipment to be able to fight these kinds of events?
"Those questions do need to be answered, I think, in the fullness of time."
Authorities said this morning that Loafers Lodge was not equipped with sprinklers.
Shaw went on to ask questions about previous union suggestions that fire crews in the Wellington region were under-resourced and whether the Government would push for more buildings to be retrofitted with sprinkler systems.
National deputy leader Nicola Willis and ACT leader David Seymour took a different tone.
"I ask and urge, and I'm sure I don't need to, that all people involved in the political sphere respect the people involved in this tragedy and follow that course of events properly.
Residents told 1News of knocking on doors to help other people escape the inferno. (Source: 1News)
"The time for those questions is certainly not today. It is when the full facts and evidence have been gathered by the appropriate authorities," Seymour said.
Willis visited the aftermath of the fire in Newtown earlier today alongside opposition leader Christopher Luxon.
"We spoke with emergency personnel who have been responding to the fire since midnight. They are the very best of us. They were so brave. So self-effacing about their efforts," she said. "But they, in many cases, said that the work has only just begun.
"They have ahead of them a task that none of us would wish upon anyone, as they do the gruelling work, to return those lost to loved ones."
Dozens of people were pulled from the building, with some rescued from the roof, while others still remain unaccounted for.
"We spoke with one man who had escaped the blaze awoken only because he needed to go to the bathroom and saw smoke rolling down the corridor. He then had the opportunity to alert his friend in the neighbouring bedroom that they needed to escape," Willis said.
"These are some of our most vulnerable citizens, and Wellington will stay with them.
"May the victims of this tragedy rest in peace."
The prime minister thanked first responders for their efforts amid “a really difficult set of circumstances”. (Source: 1News)
She also urged fellow MPs to put a pause on questions relating to the fire but said National wanted to be involved in drafting the terms of reference for any inquiry.
Mana MP Barbara Edmonds spoke on behalf of the region's Labour MPs and said the tragedy would hurt the most vulnerable in the Wellington community involved.
"The residents have literally lost everything; maybe some, just the keys to the door of their room," she said.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins visited the aftermath of the fire earlier today. Earlier, he said it had been an "absolute tragedy, and it is a horrific situation".
Edmonds continued: "Newtown is a microcosm of the Wellington region. The people who live here are a mix of working professionals, newly-arrived migrants, refugees, students, young families, and retired people.
"Whether you are the Governor General in the grandest house, or a newly-arrived family fleeing a war zone overseas, there is a place for you in Newtown. The community is strong. People look out for each other, and they love living there. This tragedy will hurt."
SHARE ME