A survivor of the mosque terror attacks has told a large gathering in Christchurch that he forgives the gunman who committed the atrocity.
Farid Ahmed, whose wife Husna Ahmed was one of 50 people killed in the March 15 attack on two mosques, addressed a crowd of thousands at a National Remembrance Service at Hagley Park.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern walks onto the stage.
AP
Delegates from nearly 60 countries also heard Ahmed describe how he doesn't want hatred to be the prevailing emotion.
"I have chosen peace, I have chosen love, and I have forgiven," said Ahmed, who was wounded in the attack.
"I do not hate (the accused) - I cannot hate him, I cannot hate anyone."
Earlier, there was a standing ovation as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took to the stage.
"What words capture the anguish of our Muslim community being the target of hatred and violence? What words express the grief of a city that already known so much pain? I thought there were none," she said. "And I was met with the simple greeting al-Salam Alaikum, peace be upon you."
The prime minister, who has been praised internationally for her leadership in the wake of the terror attacks, put out a global call to end violence and extremism in all of its forms.
"Their [the victims] stories, they now form part of our collective memories. They will remain with us forever," she continued.
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