Christchurch City Council staff and volunteers are today carefully moving the floral tributes placed at the Deans Avenue cordon to outside the Masjid Al Noor Mosque ahead of the road being reopened.

Following last Friday’s tragedy, people have laid hundreds of bouquets and other tributes for the victims of the shootings at the police cordon in Deans Avenue.

In preparation for the roads in the area reopening, Council staff and members of the Student Volunteer Army and Friends of the Botanic Gardens will today rearrange the tributes close to the mosque, at the request of the Muslim community.

“The flowers and other tributes will be moved carefully so each tribute is kept together. We’ll walk them down the road and rearrange them in the way they were originally laid, with the oldest flowers at the back and the fresh ones at the front,” Botanic Gardens and Garden Parks Director Wolfgang Bopp says.

“The Muslim community has requested that we bring the flowers to near the front of the mosque to allow them to be seen by all that come to the mosque.

“We’ve worked with Muslim leaders in our planning of how, and where, to relocate the tributes and are grateful for their guidance.”

University of Canterbury students will also be recording the moving of the flowers to establish a long-term record of the tributes.

Mr Bopp says people are encouraged to continue to lay flowers and other tributes along the Rolleston Avenue frontage of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens (near Canterbury Museum, opposite the Arts Centre).

“We are currently looking at how we’ll collect and archive all flowers and tributes left at Deans Avenue, Rolleston Avenue and other sites across the city,” he says.

“There’s a need for sensitive and respectful management of the tributes long term, and we’ll continue to work with the Muslim community in making these plans.”

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