On the 13th anniversary of the 22 February 2011 earthquakes, Christchurch will hold a Civic Memorial Ceremony at Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial, located on the Avon River between the Montreal Street Bridge and Durham Street.
The event will start at 12.45pm.
Mayor Phil Mauger is scheduled to lay a wreath at the Memorial Wall, representing the Christchurch community’s remembrance of the 185 victims.
The ceremony will feature the reading of the victims’ names and the tolling of a bell, a replica from HMNZS Canterbury, provided by the Royal New Zealand Navy, to honor each person lost.
The Christchurch City Council has extended an invitation to the public to attend the ceremony, which will include a minute of silence at 12.51pm, the exact time the earthquake occurred.
There will be no formal speeches.
The focus is on providing an opportunity for communal remembrance and reflection on the earthquake’s impact without formal orations.
The Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial, designed by Slovenian architect Grega Vezjak and unveiled on the earthquake’s sixth anniversary, was developed with input from those most affected, including bereaved families, the injured, and first responders.
The ceremony aims to offer a space for people to come together in memory of the event and its lasting effects on the city and its residents.