Nearly seven years after the Christchurch mosque attacks, the convicted gunman seeks to overturn his guilty plea, forcing victims’ families and New Zealand to relive one of the nation’s darkest days.
Nearly seven years after New Zealand’s deadliest modern attack, a courtroom in Wellington is once again reopening wounds many believed had finally begun to heal.
The man convicted of murdering 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques in March 2019 is now asking the Court of Appeal to overturn his guilty pleas and reconsider his sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
For families of the victims, the hearing is not just a legal proceeding. It is the return of a day they have spent years trying to survive.
A case New Zealand hoped was finished
The attacker, an Australian national, pleaded guilty in 2020 to murder, attempted murder and terrorism charges, sparing families a full trial and ending a national ordeal.
Now he argues he was not mentally capable of making rational decisions when he admitted guilt, claiming prison conditions affected his judgment. If the court rejects that argument, he is seeking permission to appeal his sentence.
He will appear via video link from a high-security prison unit built primarily to house him, a facility reserved for the country’s highest-risk inmates.
The application comes well after the normal legal deadline, meaning judges must first decide whether the appeal can even proceed.
Legal experts say the threshold is extremely high.
“There needs to be finality,” said Christchurch barrister James Rapley. “This is very difficult for victims, families and the country. There must be very strong reasons.”
The man many refuse to name
In the days after the massacre, then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern told Parliament the attacker would remain “nameless,” denying him the notoriety he sought.
Many institutions still follow that approach, referring to him simply as “the individual.” Even the lawyers representing him have had their identities suppressed for safety reasons.
The attack, driven by extremist ideology, shocked a nation known for its social harmony and triggered sweeping gun law reforms within weeks.
Families forced back into grief
For relatives, the appeal risks reopening trauma they have spent years processing.
Aya Al-Umari’s brother, Hussein, was killed while helping others escape the Al Noor Mosque. He was later awarded New Zealand’s Bravery Star for drawing the gunman’s attention away from worshippers.
She believes the appeal prolongs suffering.
“I suspect he wants to stay relevant and cause more trauma,” she said. “But the worst has already happened.”
Her family once faced the possibility of a trial before the unexpected guilty plea in 2020. At sentencing, her mother publicly forgave the attacker; a moment that symbolised the country’s emphasis on compassion over hatred.
A nation’s darkest day remembered
The 2019 attack prompted nationwide mourning and global solidarity. Outside mosques, people performed the haka, laid flowers and stood guard in support of Muslim communities.
“They are us,” Ardern said at the time, defining the national response.
Now, the appeal threatens to pull New Zealand back into that moment. Families will watch proceedings through delayed video links designed to shield them from direct exposure.
For many, the outcome matters less than the emotional cost of hearing the case again.
After the life-without-parole sentence in 2020, most hoped the attacker would disappear from public life forever. Instead, his legal rights have brought him back into national focus — and with it, memories of a day the country still calls its darkest.
As Aya prepares to listen to the hearing, she says she draws strength from her brother’s final act of courage.
“He has always been the hero,” she said quietly. “I will carry that bravery with me.”
