IsChch moving on from quake?

Depending on where you were in Christchurch yesterday, you had a completely different picture of how people were reacting to the sixth anniversary of the earthquake – yet it was all happening simultaneously.

When the new earthquake memorial was unveiled, with a minute’s silence observed at 12.51pm, it seemed almost no time had passed since the 2011 disaster.

Further into town people gathered at the site of CTV building, crying, where an emotional man was spotted crouching near the ground, holding a baby. Nothing had changed since that day six years ago.

But across town, at Hagley Oval, it’s almost like the earthquake had never happened.

At 12.51pm, Black Caps captain Kane Williamson was adding yet another ODI half-century to his resume and the crowd might have forgotten the significance of the moment had it not been for a release of balloons.

When New Zealand Cricket decided to hold its minute of silence before the match today, rather than during it, it was a small but perhaps significant sign that the 2011 earthquake is beginning to fade from memory.

In contrast, the minute’s silence was observed at the Hagley Oval last year when New Zealand was playing a test against Australia. In saying that, 12.51 happened to fall during the lunch break.

Black Caps communication manager Callum Elder said New Zealand Cricket made the decision not to hold a minute’s silence during the match, and instead acknowledge the earthquake before the match.

‘‘The silence was held prior to the start of the match, before the players went out. The players are also wearing black armbands.’’

He said the silence was for about 30 seconds – another small yet potentially significant step towards consigning the earthquake to history.

Asked why the minute’s silence wasn’t at 12.51, Elder said it was normal to do it prior to a sporting event. ‘‘The decision was made prior to the match to hold the moment’s silence just before the players took the field.

‘‘Commemorating or acknowledging is usually done prior to the start of an event. The match was in progress at the time of 12.51, though a message on the big screen did appear at this time.’’

Elder said Sky TV did not have an influence on the decision and that the reason they had a minute’s silence last year was because it was between innings, which it wouldn’t have been this year. ‘‘In this instance we thought it was appropriate to hold it before the match.’’

Sky TV said it complied with New Zealand Cricket’s decision but continued to refer to the event throughout the match, including a weather report from the site of the new memorial unveiling.