New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the Lautoka Jame Mosque to commemorate the fallen Fijian victims in the Christchurch Mosque shooting one year ago.

The New Zealand Prime Minister while commemorating the fallen victims of the Christchurch massacre said March 14th will always be a dark day for many.

Addressing the guests, teachers, and students at Lautoka Muslim Primary School this morning, Jacinda Ardern says that many families in New Zealand and Fiji suffered painful losses that would be hard to heal.

Prime Minister Ardern again publicly thanked the people of Fiji for their support in the aftermath of the Christchurch shooting.

“I wanna place on record our deep appreciation for the many messages of support we received following the March 15th attacks. It gave us strength and to know that you stood in solidarity with us and you sent the messages so swiftly you were the first but it was especially moving to receive those messages knowing that you faced your own grief.”

The New Zealand Prime Minister said she remains ever confident, ever optimistic, ever hopeful that countering violent extremism with inclusion and basic humanity at its core is the most effective way to prevent the tragedy of the Christchurch terror attack ever happening again.

She said that New Zealand is committed to eradicating the underlying drivers and ideology of such cowardly attacks and the commitment to promoting the values that Fiji and New Zealand share, those of kindness and compassion.

The New Zealand PM also unveiled a commemorative plaque to honour three Fijians, 58 year old Ashraf Ali Razat of Narere, Imam Hafiz Musa Patel of Lautoka and Ashraf Ali who were among the fifty one killed during the terrorist attack.

PM Ardern also met with Imman Hafiz Musa Patel’s wife Saira Bibi Patel during the solemn event, exchanging a few words with her.