'Your daughter should have been safe here': Jacinda Ardern to Grace Millane's family

‘Your daughter should have been safe here’: Jacinda Ardern to Grace Millane’s family

Grace Millane
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has spoken out about backpacker Grace Millane, who police believe was murdered, declaring she “should have been safe” in the country and apologising to her family on behalf of New Zealanders.

“From the Kiwis I have spoken to, there is this overwhelming sense of hurt and shame that this has happened in our country, a place that prides itself on our hospitality,”

Ardern made the comments within hours of the man accused of murdering her appearing in court.

Ardern said all New Zealanders would feel heartbreak for the family and that she can’t imagine the grief they are experiencing right now.

“Your daughter should have been safe here, and she wasn’t. And I’m sorry for that,” she said.

The PM was giving her weekly post Cabinet address, but started by addressing the breaking story occurring internationally.

“My thoughts and prayers are with her father David who is in the country, and her mother who cannot be here, and her wider family and friends and loved ones,” she said.

“The overwhelming sense I get is that this is something we feel immense heartbreak for the family and the sense of collective shame. We pride ourselves on being a place where people are welcome, where they are safe and this hasn’t happened. I feel a sense that New Zealanders are carrying this quite personally.”

Police believe a body found in a forrest near Auckland on Sunday is Millane’s. The 22-year-old was reported missing earlier this month, sparking a major police hunt.

Read more from Georgie Dent on this story.

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