Christchurch mosque attack survivors and families given advance copy of Royal Commission report

December 5, 2020

The long-awaited report is now in the hands of those who survived the attack and the families of those who were killed.

The long-awaited Royal Commission report is tonight in the hands of those who survived the Christchurch mosque shootings and the families of those who were killed.

The top-level investigation into the terror attack looks at what government agencies knew about the gunman and what could've been done to prevent it.

In total, the report is nearly 800 pages long and has taken 20 months to complete.

In the privacy of the marae today, the families of the 51 people who died were waiting for answers.

Ahmed Safi lost his uncle in the mosque terror attack.

"It was just bringing back the memory, anything related to the 15th of March," he told 1 NEWS today.

For Temel Atacocugu, who was shot nine times, the report represents another way to heal.

"It is important for us how it happened, because there were too many questions in our mind," he says.

"Maybe we get some answer in [the report] and then we can find what was the fault and what was the failing and why this happened."

They've had to sign a confidentiality agreement that they're strictly obeying.

"It's going to be a lot to digest," Atacocugu says.

"It's going to be big homework for the victims to find some answer in it."

Close to 400 people were interviewed in the high level investigation, including the convicted mass murderer and terrorist.

Some of the information gathered will remain a secret long after the report is made public on Tuesday.

The Government felt it was important that the victims see it first.

"It is a difficult document in places, it will bring back a lot of memories and some things that are quite hard for people to process," Labour MP Megan Woods says.

"So we wanted them to have some time with the report before the whole country's talking about it." 

Many families of the victims and survivors have stayed inside the marae with translators, who've been provided to help them fully understand what the weighty report has to say.

"We're making sure there is good support there so it can be understood... what a very long document is saying," Woods says.

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