Christchurch's Muslim community will today hold private prayers to remember the 51 people killed in the terror attacks on the Masjid Al-Noor and Linwood mosques two years ago today.
Police were outside Al-Noor Mosque on Saturday as people gathered to remember the attacks two years ago. Photo: AFP
Hundreds of people attended the official commemorative services marking the second anniversary on Saturday.
The imam of Masjid An-Nur Gamal Fouda said today's prayers will be held at both mosques to remember those who lost their lives.
"Families will remember their loved ones in different ways, many will pay their respects today by visiting the graves of those who died.
"Saturday's service went very well, it was great to see so many families coming together again, the wider community provided so much support," he said.
Gamal Fouda at the national remembrance service Photo: Supplied / Mark Tantrum
Gamal Fouda said messages, flowers and cards from all over the world had helped families get through a very hard week.
"All we can do is repeat our message that only love can heal us and make the world greater for everyone.
"Today I feel sad and peaceful at the same time, sad for those who have left us but grateful that we can all come together again to remember our loved ones and friends."
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said it took a while for the full horror of what had happened that day to sink in.
"I was at a student protest in the square when we were first told something had happened, by the time we got back to council a staff member came up to me and said the police have said there's been a shooting and at least 20 people have been killed."
Dalziel said she was close to the Muslim community through her history as Immigration Minister and as a mayor who presided over citizenship ceremonies.
"I know some of the families personally so it's been difficult coming to terms with what's happened," she said.
"Some of them came here as refugees and the essence of refugee status is offering people a level of protection they can't get in their own country but we couldn't protect them from the behaviour of a extremist, someone who was motivated to carry out a terrorist attack on innocent people as they were praying."
She said it was sad that New Zealand still had some way to go to get rid of Islamophobia from our society.
"Muslim community still feels unsafe" - Raf Manji
Community still feels unsafe - Raf Manji
Community adviser Raf Manji said Saturday's service was lovely and a good chance for the community to come together.
However, he told Morning Report the recent online terror threat against the Al Noor and Linwood mosques caused further anxiety and some people avoided the service because of it.
"If you think about where they are in this process, we had the sentencing last year during Covid which went really well, but that took up a lot of emotional energy, then we had the Royal Commission report land at the end of November... We've also just had the anniversary and now we're in the coronial process as well, so they're still not up from underneath this and it has provoked a lot of further grief ... it has been a difficult time," he said.
Manji said there is still a high level of worry within the community and a number of widows and their children have returned to their country of birth because they don't feel safe in New Zealand.
In 2019 Manji delivered an independent report to the government, outlining the need for a mental health and trauma centre to help victims, their families and all those involved in the response.
Manji said his report highlighted the need for a bespoke response to the terror attacks, but there has been reluctance from the government to set something like that up.
"I've heard some comments about 'oh it would set a precedent,' well this attack was a precedent and we hope it never happens again, but if we look back at what has happened in the South Island over the last 10 years, we had the earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 and the government set up an agency - the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Agency, we had the terrible industrial accident at Pike River, the government set up the Pike River Recovery Agency.
"So, the idea the government can't set up bespoke responses to major events ... that is not a precedent and nothing has been set up here for this community and it's been [message from the government] 'deal with ACC, deal with MSD' and the Minister said the other day 'people have had their entitlements and that's it' and that's a harsh approach I think and people are a little bit sore at that because the government could do exactly what it wants to do, it has done it before and they [the community] are struggling to understand their reluctance."
ACC for witnesses
Last week the mosque shooting hero Abdul Aziz described how witnesses wanted recognition from the government.
While witnesses to the attack are excluded from receiving Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) assistance for their trauma because they do not have physical injury, the mosque attack royal commission report recommended that the government should direct the ACC to support them.
"So we did make changes that would have an effect for potentially some of those who are impacted by not having ACC" - Jacinda Ardern
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Morning Report that while those witnesses weren't covered by ACC, they did have other forms of support.
"Well of course there is a particular group ... who wouldn't be covered by ACC. So it's not those who are injured or who suffered wounds as a result of March 15, it's those who may have been witness...
"What they are covered by is our health system. What they are not covered for are any wages lost by engaging in healthcare."
Asked if not making ACC available for witnesses was due to "an unwillingness ... or any other impediment", Ardern said: "Ultimately anything can be changed if it is an impediment, that's the will of any Parliament of the day...
"There is a precedent effect, no doubt. And so the question there is whether or not we start expanding ACC to venture into what is a space beyond - this would have ramifications well beyond those involved in March 15.
"The final thing I'll say is when Cabinet discussed this, we also discussed the need to make sure that our welfare system was available to those who were affected by March 15. There were some who by rules were excluded.
"We made changes so we could support those who otherwise might not have had financial support. So we did make changes that would have an effect for potentially some of those who are impacted by not having ACC."