The Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial Wall, Oi Manawa (which means ‘tremor or quivering of the heart’), was opened to the public on the anniversary of the February 22nd 6.3 magnitude quake. Slabco Ltd were the lead contractor on this prestigious build.

We completed the design detailing, supply and installation using 200 tons of hand selected Italian Carrara Marble cladding. 125 tons of Chinese Basalt paving, also hand selected from Haikou Island and laid as hard landscaping. Slabco Ltd was delighted to attend the official opening ceremony, together with the New Zealand Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy, the Prime Minister Bill English, members of the bereaved families, the emergency services, the military and many other international representatives.

The commemoration was held in 2017 on the 6th anniversary was watched by 1000’s of city residents and live streamed across the country.  The quake claimed many lives and the quake sequence caused significant psychological impact as people endured more than 11,000 aftershocks, whilst dealing with severely damaged homes, disrupted communities and work places. More than half of all the buildings in the central city were demolished together with over 25,000 homes.

The memorial site is a quiet, tranquil spot to reflect how the quakes changed Canterbury forever; it pays respect to all those who lost their lives, those who were injured and it acknowledges the shared trauma and support received during the response and the recovery which followed. This was a joint project between the New Zealand Government, Christchurch City Council and Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu, the administrative body of the South Island iwi, Ngai Tahu.

Slabco Ltd were truly honoured to be involved with this distinguished national project.