Jacinda Ardern leads tributes decade after Christchurch earthquake

Jacinda Ardern paid tribute to victims of the Christchurch earthquake on Monday as New Zealand paused to mark the 10th anniversary of the disaster that claimed 185 lives.

Governor-General Patsy Reddy and Jacinda Ardern pay their respects at the memorial in Christchurch on Monday. Picture: Getty Images.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern paid tribute to victims of the Christchurch earthquake on Monday as New Zealand paused to mark the 10th anniversary of the disaster that claimed 185 lives.

Thousands gathered at a memorial service in the South ­Island city and marked a minute’s silence at 12.51pm, the precise time the shallow 6.3-magnitude quake hit.

Ms Ardern said it was a ­moment that changed everything in the city of 400,000.

“The toll could not have been more significant, and daily ­reminders made it harder — a fractured landscape, aftershocks, struggling friends and neighbours, and children with deep and unseen scars,” she said.

“Ten years on there will be people still living their daily lives with the long shadow of that day.”

The seismic jolt crumpled ­office buildings, crushing dozens of people, and sent shop awnings tumbling down onto pedestrians who moments before had been enjoying a lunchtime stroll. Christchurch had survived earthquakes before, but the jolt that hit on February 22, 2011, had an epicentre of just 5km on a previously unknown fault that lay directly under the city. Most fatalities were in the CTV Building, a six-storey, 1980s-era office block that “pancaked” within 20 seconds of the quake hitting, then burst into flames. A total of 115 died in that structure alone, including 65 foreign students, mostly from China and Japan.

The tragedy’s aftermath was followed by a drawn-out rebuild that is only now starting to gain momentum. In the city centre, repair work is finally under way on the neo-Gothic Anglican cathedral that was once the symbol of Christchurch but has been fenced off since sustaining major damage in the quake.

Ms Ardern acknowledged on Monday that many residents had found it hard to move on.

“It’s been a hugely difficult decade for this city — at times I’m sure it’s felt impossible,” she said.

“But as we look ahead to the coming decade, I see hope and ­energy and optimism, and I see Christchurch taking its rightful place amongst New Zealand’s best and brightest cities.”

Governor-General Patsy Reddy read the crowd a message from the Queen. “While there are many sad memories of that terrible time, there is also solace in remembering how your community rose to the challenge of rebuilding your lives and supporting each other,” it said. “You displayed great fortitude in the face of sudden, overwhelming loss.”

At the end of the service, wreaths were laid at a memorial wall and many in the crowd threw flowers into the city’s Avon River.

AFP