Today marks five years since the March 15 terror attack in Christchurch scarred New Zealand forever – and now, some family members of victims are losing their ACC support.
Fifty-one people were killed and dozens more injured in the shootings at two Christchurch mosques in 2019.
ACC provided financial support in the wake of the event – but its payments typically only last for a set period of time and a number of families are losing that support as the anniversary ticks over.
Maha Galal from the March 15 Whānau Trust told Breakfast this morning: "Yesterday, the payment for the widows has been stopped.
"They [were] notified about two months ago. I have received more than five messages from widows saying they've been surprised with this stopping for the payment.
"We raised this issue with the Prime Minister last week, on Tuesday we met with him and we raised this issue, this concern.
"He was great listening to our concern and we hope this problem will be solved soon, inshallah (if God wills)."
The timing of the cutoff is difficult as well, Galal added.
"They received this information on the anniversary, which is quite hard actually," she said.
"They're still suffering from a lot of trauma and it's really hard for them to cope well with this information.
"So many widows, they're struggling with the payment for rent, because they were not prepared for this decision."
A language barrier contributed to the communication disconnect, Galal explained.
"Maybe they received the email, but understanding the email wasn't easy for some of them."
READ MORE FROM RE: NEWS: March 15 survivors could lose financial help
'The support ACC can provide is governed by our legislation'
In a statement, ACC's Warwick Thorn acknowledged the situation.
"Like all of New Zealand, our thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones in the terror attacks of March 15," he said.
"Since the tragedy ACC has worked closely with other agencies to coordinate wrap-around services for the survivors and affected families. ACC support for victims includes ongoing treatment, rehabilitation support and financial compensation.
"The support ACC can provide is governed by our legislation and this includes weekly financial support for spouses of the deceased victims for five years after an event occurs, or where applicable until the youngest dependant has turned 18 (unless that dependant is in full-time education), whichever date is later."
This means some families will continue to receive payments.
"[But] on this fifth anniversary of the tragedy, financial support from ACC will be coming to an end for some families," Thorn continued.
"When weekly payments are set up ACC informs families how long payments will be paid for and continues to provide this information annually.
"Over the past six months ACC and MSD have been working to prepare the spouses of the deceased victims for the end of the weekly financial payments from ACC and providing information on support that continues to be available."
'The pain is still very raw'
Farah Talal, whose husband Atta died in the attack, said: "Five years ago, on a Friday, the world that I've always known has changed forever. It may seem like it's a big number, five years, but to be honest sometimes the pain is still very raw.
"We're all as families collectively learning to live with the void that is left by the absence, we're learning to cope with the pain.
"It's a pain that I wish that no-one would ever go through."
The killings left Farah and Atta's young daughter without a father.
Rashid Bin Omar, whose son Tariq was killed, echoed Talal's comments. He plans to visit his son at the cemetery today.
"It's been a hard journey for all of us," he said. "I've been trying to help all the victims to get together and stay united so that we can share our grief together and also a sense of belonging, and feel like we are connected to each other.
"It is very, very hard, especially today, to think about all the lives lost and also the people who got injured and are still recovering, and also what they have seen that day."
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