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Designs for New Zealand earthquake memorial come from around world

Xinhua, February 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

The New Zealand government on Tuesday announced a short list of prospective memorials for the earthquake-battered city of Christchurch after receiving 330 designs from 37 countries.

The short list features six designs for a Canterbury Earthquake Memorial to honor the 185 people killed in the February 2011 quake, to acknowledge the suffering of those who lived through the thousands of tremors that began in September 2010 and the heroism of those who participated in the rescue and recovery operations.

"I think each of the designs is outstanding and reflects the Canterbury experience in a different way. Every one of them could be a fitting memorial for what we lost and what we have been through as a city," said Associate Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Nicky Wagner.

The public was invited to make submissions before March 15 on which design best reflected the shared loss and experience, Wagner said in a statement.

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel says it was an important step toward having a memorial space that would mean so much to so many people in New Zealand and around the world.

"Allowing the public to have a say in how we commemorate what we have lost, while capturing a sense of hope for the future, will make a real difference," Dalziel said in the statement.

After feedback from the public and stakeholders including first responders and those who lost loved ones, an evaluation panel made up of arts professionals, architecture experts and a representative of the bereaved families would make a recommendation on a preferred memorial to be completed in 2016.

The government has set aside up to 10 million NZ dollars (7.51 million U.S. dollars) for the memorial, along with 1 million NZ dollars (751,541 U.S. dollars) from the Christchurch Earthquake Mayoral Relief Fund.

Many of the 185 people killed in the 6.3-magnitude quake in February 2011 were from overseas.

More than half the victims 115 people died in the collapse of the CTV building in central Christchurch.

They included 64 Asian students studying at an English language school: 17 students from the Chinese mainland, 28 from Japan, 10 from the Philippines, six from Thailand, two from South Korea, and one from China's Taiwan. Endi