Still no answer for why NZ not attending global holocaust memorial event

The Herald reports:

New Zealand’s absence from a global holocaust memorial event has been called disappointing by the New Zealand Jewish Council and labelled disgraceful by the Opposition.

Almost every President or PM in the western world is attending.

The decision not to attend is disgraceful, and also stupid.

It is disgraceful because anti-Semitism is on the rise, as just seen in Wellington with a swastika painted onto a synagogue.

It is disgraceful because the Holocaust is the worst atrocity of modern times. What message do we send, by saying sorry we couldn’t spare anyone.

But it is also stupid because we missed out on the very important networking opportunities from the largest gathering of heads of state or governments outside the UN. You’ve got Mike Pence, Putin and Macron for a start.

Five years ago for a less prominent holocaust event, The Government sent both a Minister and a senior Opposition MP (Chris Finlayson and Annette King). Good bipartisan work.

For a gathering of this nature we should have sent either the Governor-General, the Speaker or the PM.