Proceedings are expected to last six weeks and will seek to ‘shine a light’ on what happened in March 2019.
New Zealand has opened an inquest into the murder of 51 people by a self-proclaimed white supremacist at two Christchurch mosques in 2019.
“I ask simply that we keep each of the 51 people whose lives have been lost, and that common goal at the centre of this hearing,” Deputy Chief Coroner Brigitte Windley said as she opened proceedings on Tuesday.
Windley said the inquiry, which is scheduled to last six weeks, would “seek to shine a light” on what happened and would consider making recommendations to reduce the chances of a similar event happening again.
The March 15, 2019 attacks in the southern city were the worst mass shooting in New Zealand’s history, and shocked the country. The gunman, Australian Brenton Tarrant, is now serving a whole-life sentence in prison after being convicted on 51 charges of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act.
Family and friends packed the court for the emotionally charged opening session, which included a traditional Maori welcome, a reading from the Quran and a moving video tribute to each of the victims.
The inquiry will examine 10 issues including the response by emergency services and hospital staff, whether the gunman had direct assistance from any other person and the cause of death for each of the deceased.
Windley is not expected to release her findings until some time in 2024.
Observers were shown a harrowing video depicting the gunman’s movements around Christchurch on the day of the attack, including footage he had filmed using a GoPro camera.