Prime Minister John Key says February 22, 2011, will go down in New Zealand’s history as “one of our darkest days”.
Speaking at a memorial service in Latimer Square this morning, Mr Key thanked the efforts of police, the fire and ambulance services, Urban Search and Rescue, and the international support that flooded into the country on the day Canterbury was “shook to the core”.
“We all remember where we were when we heard the news, Christchurch our second largest city and home to 350,000 people had been struck by an earthquake so violent and destructive that it would go on to claim the lives of 185 people,” said Mr Key.
The Prime Minister said today was about remembering those who were killed a year ago, by an earthquake that "wreaked havoc on an unimaginable scale".
“We cannot numb the pain of those who lost loved ones, anymore than we can bring back those who died,” he said.
Mr Key reflected on what he saw in Latimer Square, just hours after the earthquake struck the city.
“People were huddled under blankets, sirens were blaring…helicopters with monsoon buckets hovering overhead, and amid all of this, aftershocks continued to shake the very ground we stand on today,” he said.
The Prime Minister told the families of those who died in the earthquake, they had the support of all New Zealanders.
He also acknowledged the physical and mental scars of Cantabrians who continue to live through aftershocks.
“The earthquake couldn’t break the spirit Cantabrians are famous for,” said the Prime Minister.
Going on to talk about moving forward, Mr Key said the Government is committed to reubuilding the city and finding answers through the Royal Commission of Inquiry.
“February 22nd will forever be one of the darkest days in this proud nation’s history…it will also be a day when in the worst of times, the best of human spirit was on display,” said the Prime Minister.
3 News