Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she wanted those affected by the Christchurch mosque attacks to have plenty of time to read the report into the tragedy, before it is publicly released.
File photo. Photo: AFP or licensors
Ardern and several MPs have met with the surviving victims and familes at the Ngā Hau e Whā National Marae in Christchurch today.
The Prime Minister promised accountability when it came to delivering on the recommendations of the Royal Commission into the Christchurch mosque attacks.
She said it was a significant and weighty report, and diverse matters were raised at the gathering.
"The purpose of today was to really give some time to the people who have been personally affected by March 15 to have received the report, spend a bit of time reading it, it is a very lengthy report, and then for us to come back and just discuss anything that was of concern," she said.
The report into the attacks is due to be be released on Tuesday, but concerned parties were given copies yesterday
The family of one of the victims described the Royal Commission's report as another missing piece of the puzzle as they adjust to life without their brother and son.
The terrorist's shock guilty plea earlier this year meant no trial and the Royal Commission's report will offer some of the only insight into how exactly the shootings were able to take place.
Two commissioners, Sir William Young and Jacqui Caine, were tasked with looking at the gunman's activities in the lead up to 15 March 2019, what security agencies knew about him, what - if anything - they did with that information, if those agencies could have prevented the shootings and what should be done to stop similar attacks in future.
The minister anticipates, but can't guarantee, that will happen before Christmas.
Ardern will also decide how much of the report is made public, but the Royal Commission has prepared it so no redactions are necessary.
Ardern said it was such a significant report that it was not possible to provide physical copies on a large scale to people overseas.
However, she said the government has managed to provide the report to people in New Zealand, giving them time to read it before it is released publicly.
In response to a question about whether a special minister needs to be appointed, focussing on the attack and what needs to be done, she said: "In terms of how we will make sure that we have that accountability for delivering on the royal commission, I'll be giving a bit more detail about that next week. But that was something I proactively raised with the community. We do want to make sure that after such a hefty piece of work, so much detail, so much time and energy has gone into it, that we make sure that we're acting upon it."
