The Christchurch Masjidain Attack Inquiry is a coronial inquiry by the Coronial Services of New Zealand into the Christchurch mosque shootings which occurred on 15 March 2019. The coronial inquiry was preceded by criminal proceedings and a Royal Commission of Inquiry. The scope stage of the Inquiry was held between 22 and 24 February 2022, which led Coroner Brigitte Windley to identify 12 issues to be examined. The first phase was held between 24 October and 14 December 2023. The first phase examined nine issues including the events of the 15 March, the Police, emergency services, and Christchurch Hospital's response to the attack, whether shooter Brenton Tarrant received help during the attack, and the final movements and circumstances of each of the 51 deceased's deaths.
The second phase examined the Police firearms licensing process, Tarrant's online radicalisation and future responses to violent extremism. It was held in May and October 2024.
Background
On 15 March 2019, White supremacist Brenton Tarrant staged two consecutive mass shootings at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, killing 51 people. He live-streamed the first shooting on Facebook, marking the first successfully live-streamed far-right terror attack, and had published an online manifesto before the attack. On 26 March 2020, he pleaded guilty to 51 murders, 40 attempted murders, and engaging in a terrorist act, and in August was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parolethe first such sentence in New Zealand.
The attack was linked to an increase in white supremacy and alt-right extremism globally observed since about 2015. Politicians and world leaders condemned it, and then-Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern described it as "one of New Zealand's darkest days". The government established a royal commission into its security agencies in the wake of the shootings, which were the deadliest in modern New Zealand history and the worst ever committed by an Australian national. The commission submitted its report to the government on 26 November 2020, the details of which were made public on 7 December.
On 21 October 2021, Chief Coroner Judge Deborah Marshall confirmed that she had opened an inquiry into the Christchurch mosque shootings. In late October, Marshall confirmed that she plans to examine the initial response to the attacks by emergency services and whether any victims could have been saved if things had been done differently. The Judge confirmed that she was also seeking submissions from interested parties before the scope of the inquiry is finalised.
Scope stage On 22 February 2022, the scope stage of the coronial inquiry into the mosque shootings commenced. The inquiry was chaired by Coroner Brigitte Windley. The inquiry is expected to hear from lawyers representing the families of the victims, the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand, the Islamic Women's Council, St John New Zealand, the Canterbury District Health Board, Police, and the Human Rights Commission. The entire coronial hearing was held via video conferencing due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. Tarrant is scheduled to attend the hearing remotely from Auckland Prison and to make a submission through his lawyers.
On 22 February, survivors and relatives of the mosque shootings asked the Coroner to investigate allegations that police responding to the attacks had acted aggressively or confrontationally towards victims of the Al Noor mosque attack. They also asked the Coroner to investigate whether Tarrant was a lone wolf or had received help, and how he had obtained his firearms license. In addition, Anne Toohey, the counsel representing Zuhair Kamel, whose brother Kamel Darwish perished at the Al-Noor mosque, presented evidence challenging the Police's account that Darwish had immediately perished following Tarrant's attack on the mosque.
On 24 February, Tarrant's lawyer Ron Mansfield KC told the Coroner that his client was seeking an appeal of the earlier Royal Commission of Inquiry's hearings on the basis of factual errors in their report. Mansfield stated that Tarrant was questioned as part of the Inquiry but was denied a transcript of his interview or a draft of the report's findings. Tarrant had only received a copy of the final report the previous week due to restrictions put in place by the Department of Corrections. Mansfield claimed that Tarrant had been denied "natural justice" and called upon the Coroner to reject the Royal Commission's report.
That same day, the Islamic Women's Council's national co-ordinator Aliya Danzeisen told the Coroner about the dangers of online "radical movements" operating on 4Chan and Telegram promoting hatred and violence against the Muslim community and undermining democracy and the rule of law in light of the 2022 Wellington protests.
On 28 April 2022, Windley issued her scope decision and identified 12 issues to be examined in further detail: The events of 15 March 2019 from the commencement of the attack until the terrorist's formal interview by police. The response times and entry processes of police and ambulance officers at each mosque. The triage and medical response at each mosque. Steps that were taken to apprehend the offender. Christchurch Hospital's role and processes in response to the attack. Co-ordination between emergency services. Did Brenton Tarrant have direct assistance from any other person on 15 March 2019? The final movements and time of death for each of the deceased. The cause(s) of death of each victim and whether they died of any preventable injuries. Whether the Police's firearms licensing process contributed to the attack and resulting deaths. Whether these deficiencies have since been addressed by legislative amendments. Whether Tarrant's online activity between 2014 and 2017 contributed to his radicalisation. The community's ability to detect and respond to the risk of violent extremism in others.
First phase inquest hearing First week On 24 October 2023, the First Phase Inquest hearing commenced in Christchurch, which would focus on the first nine issues identified in the scope decision as well as whether Al Noor Mosque's emergency exit had malfunctioned during the attack. This inquest is expected to last for six weeks and will involve 140 interested parties. Coroner Windley is expected to examine a large amount of evidence including nearly 3,000 documents, 4,750 images, 2,720 audio files, and over 80 hours of video. While Tarrant had initially successfully applied to participate in the Inquest as an interested party, he subsequently withdrew his application.
On 25 October, the Inquiry heard evidence that a parliamentary staffer had called the Police after receiving an emailed copy of Tarrant's manifesto. The Police call-taker had categorised the emergency call as a "priority 2," meaning that it received lesser attention than calls related to the Al Noor mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre shootings, which received "priority 1" classifications. That same day, the then deputy prime minister and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters alleged on social media platform X that Prime Minister Ardern had kept secret that her office received information about the 15 March terrorist attacks before they took place. The Prime Minister's Office described Peters's tweet as "completely inaccurate" and urged him to remove the post and apologise.
On 26 October, the Inquiry heard testimony from a 111 call-taker who had received the parliamentary staffer's call regarding the gunman's manifesto. The 111 call-taker was a new recruit who was on their third or fourth shift on 15 March 2019. That same day, the Inquest heard that the Police had not immediately dispatched personnel to the Linwood Islamic Centre despite being told that the mosque was a potential target during an emergency call. On 27 October, the Inquest heard testimony from the 111 call-taker's supervisor who defended the Police's decision not to raise the priority level of the emergency call regarding the mosque attack. That same day, 111 call-taker Constable Dara Taylor testified that Police would have dispatched forces to evacuate Linwood Mosque had the mosque shooting emergency call been given a "priority 1" classification. Taylor had been unaware of the parliamentary staffer's 111 call until four days after the shootings.
Second week On 30 October, the Inquest heard testimony from an Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) officer who had responded to the shooting at Al Noor Mosque, operations commander Detective Superintendent Darryl Sweeney, and senior police communicator Bret Watkins. Sweeney admitted mistaking a delayed livestream feed for an actual attack while Watkins admitted that the priority level of the 111 call relating to the Christchurch attack should have been upgraded. On 31 October, the Inquest heard testimony from Sergeant Aaron Reid, who admitted that Police lacked experienced dealing with such mass shooting events and that a panicked radio transmission had caused confusion in the Police response to the shootings.
On 1 November, the Inquest heard testimony that members of the Armed Offender Squad and paramedics had delayed providing first aid to victims at Al Noor Mosque due to fears that the gunman was still at large. On 2 November, the Inquest heard further testimony about the first aid response provided by Police and St John Ambulance. One senior paramedic had also entered Al Noor Mosque to render assistance to victims despite St John's policy against entering unsafe scenes. In addition, local resident Len Peneha, who lived near Al Noor Mosque, testified about his encounter with the gunman. On 3 November, two Al Noor survivors Mohammad Siddiqui and Ahmad Alayedy testified about the malfunctioning emergency door. A third survivor Mohamed Adwy testified that Police had prevented several survivors from re-entering the mosque to aid wounded fellow congregants due to safety concerns.
Third week On 6 November, an AOS member testified that he had requested more ambulances due to the large number of casualties at Al Noor Mosque. In addition, he testified that Tarrant has sped past his vehicle at a traffic light stop. On 7 November, Ambulance officer Craig Stockdale disputed Police claims that St John Ambulance had been slow to respond to the shootings at Al Noor Mosque. That same day, a senior Police officer testified that Police were unaware that badly injured victims had been left in Al Noor Mosque and only found out several days or weeks later. On 8 November, Stockdale testified that paramedics were overwhelmed by the sheer number of casualties at Al Noor Mosque, many of which needed hospital attention. On 9 November, Police Constable Coral-Ann Bowler testified about the emotional impact on Police responding to the shootings at Linwood Islamic Centre. On 10 November, the Inquest heard that AOS personnel used their own vehicles to evacuate the wounded at Linwood centre since ambulances were held up at Al Noor Mosque. An AOS member testified that AOS personnel were unaware of a "load and goal strategy."
Fourth week