Names of the 185 who died in February 2011 earthquake to be read out at tenth anniversary memorial service

Friday, 19 February 2021

The names of the 185 people who lost their lives in Christchurch’s February 2011 earthquake will be read aloud at the tenth anniversary memorial service.

Hundreds of people are expected to attend an event held on the banks of the Avon River on Monday to remember those killed and injured and acknowledge the devastation the quake wrought on the city

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy will be among those speaking, while a message will be delivered from former mayor Bob Parker, who led the city in its initial recovery.

The service will be held at the Oi Manawa Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial, a marble wall bearing the names of those who were lost.

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Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel and Professor Maan Alkaisi, a Quake Families Trust committee member who lost his wife in the CTV building collapse, will deliver the words of welcome at the service.

The names of those who died will then be read by first responders and members of the community. This will be followed by a minute of silence at 12.51pm, the time the earthquake struck.

Those wishing to attend the memorial service should make their way to the corner of Montreal Street and Cambridge Terrace well before the 12.30pm start time, the city council says.

The service will also be played on a large screen opposite the memorial wall and livestreamed online.

Some roads will be closed for the service. Montreal St, between Tuam St and Cambridge Tce, will be closed from 9am to 4pm. Cambridge Tce, between Montreal St and Cashel St, will also be closed.

The memorial wall will be closed from midday until the end of the service.