"All we can do is repeat our message that only love can heal us and make the world greater for everyone.
"I feel sad and peaceful at the same time, sad for those who have left us but grateful that we can all come together again to remember our loved ones and friends."
Christchurch City Mayor Lianne Dalziel said it took a while for the full horror of what had happened that day to sink in.
"I was at a student protest in the square when we were first told something had happened, by the time we got back to council a staff member came up to me and said the police have said there's been a shooting and at least 20 people have been killed."