This is why the Royal Commission Report is so important. Because the ideal scenario was, of course, the attack never happened in the first place. And the way that would have happened, is that Tarrant was picked up before he acted.
So, the critical part of this report is, was our security found wanting? And if so, how badly? My bet, sadly, is the answer is yes.
The sense at the time, if you remember, was that the authorities had spent too much energy on groups like ISIS. International terror groups were a reflection of where the world was at post 9/11. The white supremacist had managed to operate a bit under the radar. Whether that is true will hopefully be fleshed out in this report.
But I ask the question again, that I asked at the time, and that is what I base my fears on, how is it that a person of no obvious means, no employment, is able to wander the world the way he did, and no flag went up anywhere.
This is a bloke that travelled to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, France, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, and North Korea.
Now, some of those places don't ring alarm bells, but come on. North Korea, Pakistan and Afghanistan? There's a theme here, and it's not sunshine and lounge chairs. Even if it was, checks would have been able to verify it.
The travel record alone and its lack of attention for a single man sitting in Dunedin, warranted a lot of questions, I would have thought.
What I fear is that, yet again, government departments will be found badly wanting. And when they are, the apologies will flow, lessons will be learned, and promises will be made.
But, of course, it will, like all reports that find fault, ineptitude, unprofessionalism, and incompetence, be too late.
Let's hope I am wrong. It won't change the outcome, but it will be less salt in the wound.
