An inquest hearing into the deaths of 51 Muslims in a white supremacist terror attack on two Christchurch mosques has been postponed, after bereaved families and survivors raised “reasonable concerns” that vital evidence could be missed if it went ahead as scheduled, the coroner heading the inquiry says.
The inquiry will address questions not covered by previous investigations into the 15 March 2019 terrorist attack, in which an Australian gunman opened fire on worshipers during Friday prayers while livestreaming the massacre on Facebook.
Six weeks of public hearings were scheduled to take place in May and June, in which lawyers for the victims’ families and survivors were due to question witnesses, including police and ambulance officers. The emergency response in the immediate aftermath of the attacks has not been publicly scrutinised before.
In a minute issued on Thursday, coroner Brigitte Windley said she had decided “with considerable reluctance” that the hearings would not proceed as planned.
They would be rescheduled for later this year, she said. A date has not been set.
“I know this will be an unwelcome delay for many, including those who have long been awaiting the answers and perhaps the closure they hope the Inquest will bring,” coroner Windley wrote. “However, it is vitally important that this Inquiry is conducted in a manner that retains its integrity and maintains trust and confidence in the process.”
Lawyers for many of the bereaved had urged the coroner to delay the hearings due to the sheer volume of disclosure and delays in receiving, accessing and reviewing it. Some said they were not able to engage expert witnesses or properly instruct their clients as a result.
Much of the evidence underpinning the inquiry was prepared by New Zealand’s police in 2019 for the criminal case against the terrorist. When Brenton Tarrant pleaded guilty to all the charges he faced in March 2020, a planned trial was averted and the case against him was never publicly presented.
Coroner Windley said lawyers representing the families had decried “the disappointing lack of detail” in briefs filed to her inquiry by the police, arguing they did not allow a proper investigation “of what decisions were made, by whom and on what basis”. Evidence relating to the aftermath of the shooting is suppressed until the inquest begins.
Lawyers for the police had told the coroner they were ready to proceed with the inquest in May.
Aya al-Umari, whose brother Hussein al-Umari was killed, said she had expected “comprehensive” detail from the police evidence “given the considerable amount of time that has lapsed” since the attack.
Al-Umari was among bereaved relatives who said they welcomed the postponement, but were frustrated that concerns about timely access to information had not been addressed earlier.
“It certainly is very disappointing to be repeatedly taken back to the same starting point all over again,” said Insha Aziz, whose husband, Farhaj Ahsan was killed. She is a spokesperson for the 15 March Whānau Trust, a group representing many of the families.
Others said they were worried their lawyers might not have the chance to see all the evidence before an inquest begins – even after a delay.
“I feel disappointed about the delays and I feel that these could recur during the process for the very same reasons,” said Hanan Adem, whose husband, Dr Amjad Hamid, was killed.
But Adem, who is a trustee of the families’ group, supported the postponement.
“Every person who helped or contributed to any action that led to the massacre on 15 March must be held accountable,” she said.
An earlier, independent inquiry into whether any New Zealand public agency could have detected and prevented the attack concluded in December 2020 that they could not have done “except by chance.” But it was not asked to examine the emergency response – and questions from some relatives about whether any victims’ lives could have been saved – or the role of social media platforms in Tarrant’s radicalisation, both of which the coronial inquiry will consider.
Coroners’ reports in New Zealand draw conclusions about the circumstances of each victim’s death and make recommendations to prevent future such events. It is not an adversarial or criminal process.
Tarrant was sentenced to life without the chance of parole in August 2020 on 51 counts of murder, 40 of attempted murder and a terrorism charge. He filed for leave to appeal against his convictions in November; the court of appeal has yet to release a decision.
