February 22nd, 2011.

It is a date permanently etched into all our minds.

A date that will go down in the history of New Zealand as one of our darkest days.

We all remember where we were when we heard the news. Christchurch - our second-largest city and home to 350,000 people - had been struck by an earthquake so violent and destructive that it would go on to claim 185 lives.

February 22nd began as just another summer day here in Canterbury.

It was a Tuesday and all over the region people were going about their usual business. Kids were at school. Office workers were popping out to get a quick bite for lunch. Shoppers were browsing and young students were together in class.

But at 12.51pm that day, everything changed.

At that moment, the city of Christchurch – and the lives of so many people - changed forever.

This morning we remember those who were killed one year ago today by an earthquake which wreaked havoc on an unimaginable scale.

It twisted buildings, tore up roads, destroyed homes and shook us to the core.

Worst of all, it stole 185 loved ones from us and injured so many more.

One year on, the Latimer Square that we are gathered in today is vastly different to what it was in the hours after the earthquake struck.

I shall never forget coming to Latimer Square in the hours after the February 22nd earthquake. People were huddled under blankets, sirens were blaring and dust was thick in the air. There were fires, helicopters with monsoon buckets hovering overhead, and amid all of this, aftershocks continued to shake the very ground that we stand on today.

It was New Zealand – but it was a New Zealand I had never seen before.

Many of you here at this service personally experienced the scenes of devastation that day.

I know they are scenes that will live on in your memories, as they will in mine, for the rest of your lives.

Today I want to particularly acknowledge the families of those who lost a loved one.

Many of you are here and some of you have travelled from other countries to be here. I welcome you.

I know it has been a tough 12 months for you.

There is no pain like that of losing someone you cared so much about. That pain and sorrow is a heavy burden for anyone to carry.

But I want you to know that you have the support of all New Zealanders. The thoughts and sympathies of our small nation are very much with you all today.

I also want to pay tribute to the many people who stepped up to help others after the earthquake.

So many heroes and heroines risked their own lives to save others.

People who, despite being personally affected by the quake, dropped everything to help the person beside them or to answer the call of duty.

There are too many of you to mention. But to the Police, the Fire Service, the ambulance, victim identification and medical teams, the Urban Search and Rescue teams and the international help that poured into our country, I say on behalf of all New Zealanders: thank you.

Today our thoughts are also with the people of Canterbury who have lived through literally thousands of aftershocks over the past year.

Your city looks different. Some of the landmarks you love are damaged or gone altogether, and many of you bear physical as well as mental scars as you rebuild your lives.

On February 22nd, the earthquake took everyday life in Canterbury and tossed it on its head.

But it couldn’t break the spirit you are famous for.

I want to reiterate to the people of Canterbury today that the Government is committed to rebuilding this great city.

We will find answers about what happened through the Royal Commission process, and we will rebuild a new Christchurch.

A Christchurch with a new future, a city that looks different, but carries a renewed vibrancy and energy.

I know that for many Cantabrians, the sadness and anxiety that you feel today is mixed with frustration.

We have a long journey ahead of us.

It will take time to recover from what was the fourth-largest earthquake insurance event experienced in the world. An earthquake so severe that in some places the vertical shaking was more than twice the force of gravity.

But recover and rebuild, we will.

Progress is being made. Roads are being repaired, sewer and water pipes are being reconnected, electricity has been quickly restored, reconstruction is underway and the residential red zone settlement process is moving forward.

The ingenuity that Kiwis are so well known for has been on show. The Re:START shopping area in Cashel Mall demonstrates how people have adapted to new conditions and found a new way forward.

Several large companies have shown their faith in the future of this region and city by announcing new investment here.

That is encouraging, and it emphasises the opportunity we have ahead of us to build a well-planned, 21st century city with top-quality facilities that will be a great place to live.

So in part today is a day to look forward. To dare to dream about what a new vibrant and confident Christchurch will be like.

Today is rightly also a time to pause and reflect. We remember that day and honour those who died, those who were injured, those who selflessly went to the aid of their fellow human beings and those who continue to help get Canterbury back on its feet.

We cannot numb the pain of those who lost loved ones any more than we can bring back those who died.

But together, we can take strength from one another and move forward.

February 22nd will forever be one of the darkest days in this proud nation’s history.

It will also be a day where in the worst of times, the best of human spirit was on display.

That spirit is something that no earthquake can ever take away.