The Islamic Women’s Council of NZ gave more than 1,000 pages of evidence to the royal commission in the hope of a better country

By the time that you read this, New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, will have received a several-tome report from the royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques, which will provide findings on whether the government authorities could have prevented the horrific event and will offer recommendations to avert any terrorism in the future.

As the person charged with government engagement for the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand (IWCNZ), I have a keen interest in reading the commission’s conclusions given that our organisation had warned government authorities several times that our Muslim community was at risk and needed support. Importantly, the report has the potential to transform how the government interacts with all its communities. Harking back to the wise words of New Zealand’s “mother of the nation” Dame Whina Cooper, I hope that this report becomes the seed that plants in the hearts of Kiwis “a vision of Aotearoa where all our people can live together in harmony … and share the wisdom from each culture”.

Justice has been seen to be done and the stories of his victims and those left behind will live on

They called him a mouse. A sheep. A coward. A loser. A peasant. A terrorist. A nothing. The latter two accusations made against Brenton Tarrant in the high court of Christchurch this week were the most factual; convicted of 51 counts of murder and an act of terrorism, his sentence of life without parole has consigned him to the void. He will cease to exist.

Good. He was bad rubbish, sentenced with all the beautiful and solemn efficiency of English law as practised in New Zealand, but the thing everyone will remember about the past few days is the testimony from those who survived the attack and the families of the victims.

Terrorist does not intend to speak at Thursday’s hearing but will have a lawyer make a brief statement on his behalf

Over a period of three days, 91 of his victims read statements to him in court. But the terrorist who attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand – killing dozens of Muslim worshippers at prayer – told a judge on Wednesday that he would not address the court himself.

There had been fears the Australian man would use the sentencing hearing as a platform to spread his anti-Islamic and extremist views. Brenton Tarrant, 29, a self-professed white supremacist, broadcast his massacre at the two mosques live on Facebook and published an extremist manifesto.

Hamimah Tuyan, the widow of the 51st and final victim of 2019's Christchurch shooting, addresses the gunman, Brenton Tarrant, in court, telling him his death elevated him from hero to martyr. Zekeriya Tuyan battled for 48 days after 18 surgeries before succumbing to his injuries. Tuyan's statements come after three days of family members of victims addressing Tarrant and the court

• 'You are weak': floodgates open as more Christchurch victims come forward

Janna Ezat, whose son Hussein Al-Umari was one of 51 people killed in 2019's  Christchurch shooting, came face-to-face with the gunman in court, telling 29-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant, she forgave him. "I have decided to forgive you, Mr Tarrant, because I don’t have hate, I don’t have revenge," she said during victim statements. "The damage is done. Hussein will never be here. I have only one choice: to forgive you."

• 'I don’t have hate, I don’t have revenge' – stricken mother of Christchurch massacre victim forgives killer