Civic events  |  13 Feb 2019

The eighth anniversary of the deadly quake that rocked Christchurch in February 2011, killing 185 people, will be marked with a civic memorial service.

People attending last year's Civic Memorial Service.

The Civic Memorial Service will again be held on the north bank of Oi Manawa – the Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial.

The service will take place on the north bank of Oi Manawa – the Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial – at 12.30pm on Friday, 22 February. All are welcome to attend.

After an opening karakia and mihi whakatau, Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel will offer words of welcome at the start of the service and then the names of the 185 people who lost their lives in the earthquake will be read in the order they appear on the Memorial Wall.

At 12.51pm – the exact time the quake struck – a minute of silence will be observed.

At the end of the minute’s silence, there will be two readings from members of the Quake Families Trust. The New Zealand Army Band will then perform a reflective piece ahead of the closing karakia and blessing.

Those wishing to attend the service are invited to arrive at the memorial site, on the corner of Montreal Street and Cambridge Terrace, by 12.20pm. The newly opened City Promenade provides pedestrians and cyclists with excellent access to this year’s service. Temporary cycle stands will be placed near the service on Cambridge Terrace.

The service has been developed in collaboration with the Quake Families Trust.