Business woman keen to get to France

Pascale Hyboud-Peron is booked to go home to France for Christmas. Photo / Andrew Warner

Tauranga business woman Pascale Hyboud-Peron is more determined than ever to head home to France this Christmas - despite her family saying they would understand if she decided not to come.

The co-founder of Venture Centre, who has lived in Tauranga for the past 17 years, is due to fly out on December 20 to spend two weeks with family and friends.

"Right now I'm not scared. I don't know how the situation will evolve," she said.

"I want to be with them more than ever. So that we can actually be together because these terrorists' actions are the result of huge division, huge communication break-down. This is happening because there is so little unity."

France could do better to respect diversity, she said.

"The divisions and silos are so entrenched that is why these things happen. They could do better at dealing with the people who come with different backgrounds. "

Ms Hyboud-Peron, whose brother lives in Asnieres about 8km from the centre of Paris, became aware of the terror attacks shortly after they happened.

"I was able to contact my friends and family in Paris immediately and I knew very shortly afterwards that everyone was safe."

She had a friend who was dining in Paris and another family friend who was at the Stade de France watching the football with his son. Both escaped unscathed. "It was just very slow moving," she said. "The horror was in pockets in various places.

"The terrorists are French citizens so this is what is so hard to get your head around," she said.

Ms Hyboud-Peron spoke to her parents, who live in Lyon, about 500km from Paris, yesterday. The couple, who had lived through previous acts of terrorism in France, had been watching the football on television when the announcer stopped the commentary suddenly and news of the attacks unfolded.

"My parents - who are elderly - after their lifetime things are unchanged and they're actually getting worse in the complexity of them," she said.

When news of the attacks broke, Ms Hyboud-Peron was surrounded by 70 people at the Tauranga Startup Weekend.

"I have been absolutely in awe of the support and the kindness of all the people involved," she said.

The experience had inspired her to continue to work on community events that created a unified mindset and values. "To create a sense of place and purpose," she said.