Mr Farid Ahmed, MNZM, of Christchurch, for services to interfaith communities
Farid Ahmed is an active member of the Christchurch Muslim community. He was present at Masjid an-Nur during the 2019 mosque shootings, and his wife was killed. He spoke at the national memorial service on he and his daughter choosing love and forgiveness. He has since undertaken numerous national and international speaking and media engagements to spread his message of forgiveness and tolerance. He initiated an annual dinner with the Bangladeshi Parents’ Group in Christchurch, ‘Unity in Diversity’. Mr Ahmed has provided classes for tamariki and rangatahi to better understand and be confident in their religious traditions, as well as producing resources and workshops on the foundations of Islam.