Prime Minister Scott Morrison will hold face-to-face talks with Kiwi counterpart Jacinda Ardern in Christchurch on Friday as both countries come together to grieve those killed in the city's mosque shootings. Ardern confirmed Australia will be represented at a National Remembrance Service at Hagley Park by Morrison, opposition leader Bill Shorten and Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove. The trio are among delegates from 59 countries who will be represented at the service which falls two weeks after the terror attack in which a gunman killed 50 people and injured another 50. None of the Australians will address a crowd that is estimated to number about 15,000. Ardern explained the service would have a Muslim focus in honour of those killed and wounded. However, she welcomed the chance to later speak in person with Morrison for the first time since the attacks, having been in regular telephone contact. "We don't tend to script our engagements but I'd imagine it will have a heavy focus on what's happened here in Christchurch," Ardern said. "New Zealand is incredibly grateful for the support of Australia - including the provision of 85 police staff and victim identification staff to help with what is our country's largest ever police investigation." Ardern had been forced to cancel a trans-Tasman trip scheduled for the immediate wake of the shootings. She waved off a reporter's suggestion that the size of the Australian delegation was due to a sense of responsibility because of the nationality of Australian-born alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant. "I think it's an acknowledgement of the closeness of our relationship," Ardern responded. Comments are closed.
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