I think most people wouldn't have understood either that we had an important Muslim community in our midst, or that we had extremist terrorists who were prepared to articulate and to attack on the basis of extremist views, we were very complacent on both scores.

Paul Spoonley

Paul Spoonley (born 1954) is a New Zealand sociologist. Spoonley was born in 1954, and began teaching at Massey University in 1979. Some of Spoonley's current research includes immigration in New Zealand, the alt-right in New Zealand, New Zealand demographics, and the Christchurch mosque shootings. He has written or edited 25 books during his career and is a regular commentator in news media. A fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand, in 2009 he was awarded the Royal Society of New Zealand Science and Technology medal.

All Paul Spoonley quotes | Paul Spoonley Books