Shamabil Yacob

It's frustrating because, of course, I look the way that I look.

So he means it's people like Shamabil that he doesn't want in this country.

Absolutely.

Our views on immigration are hardening very fast.

It is really quite frightening because New Zealand, of course, is built on many generations of immigration.

New Zealand is fractured.

We have three very different New Zealanders living alongside each other.

And I see these divisions across financial stress.

Politics, distrust in institutions.

Isolation, they're all reinforcing each other.

And we've got this country that's become more frustrated and more disconnected.

But what we need is for us to be able to come together to deal with the big changes that are coming at us, whether it's with climate change or war or aging populations.

And to me, social cohesion is the foundation, is the answer for how we navigate these complexities.

That's why this report is so important.

It tells us where we're at, where we are strong, and where we can improve.

One thing that frightened the hell out of me was just how distrusting of institutions and government we have become over time.

We can see why that is, that it feels like we don't have the leadership across successive governments to really deal with the big, knotty problems.

But also there are some very personal things that frighten me.

The rise in loneliness is extraordinary, particularly amongst young people.

That really concerns me, surprises me, saddens me, because when people are isolated and disconnected, it becomes a self-reinforcing problem.