Strong magnitude 5.8 quake struck at 9.07.06pm 22 September

5.8 quake felt across all of NZ

Magnitude 5.8 earthquake was felt across New Zealand

A strong magnitude 5.8 earthquake was felt across the entire country on Thursday evening.

It struck at 9.07pm, and was centred 30km north-east of French Pass at a depth of 51km, GNS Science said.

They said it was located at latitude  -40.81 (± 4.1 km) and longitude 174.20 (± 3.4 km) in the French Pass. 

Some 44548 people reported feeling the quake – residents from across the country, including the far north, Auckland, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Tauranga, Wellington, Nelson, Richmond, Motueka, Golden Bay, Wairarapa, Christchurch, Dunedin and further south.

One Richmond resident felt a very sharp jolt to the whole house.

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The young pallbearers of the Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards are illustrating the best of British and Commonwealth values

Pall bearers from the Grenadier Guards lead the coffin away at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey

Even when the cameras are switched off, their duty will not be over

 By Lord Dannatt

After days and nights of rehearsal and years of planning, members of the Armed Forces who took part in the ceremonies in London and Windsor on Monday can allow themselves a moment of congratulation on a job well done. 

None of it is easy. Every action in every part of the pageant requires concentration, determination, physical effort and total commitment. 

What fuels the mind and body is adrenaline, underpinned by pride. The core of that pride is the Oath of Allegiance that every member of the Armed Forces swore on their first day in uniform. 

Pall bearers from the Grenadier Guards load the coffin onto the gun carriage at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey

It is invidious to single out any individual or unit for particular praise as the cast list is so varied, but spare a thought for one group of young men — the pall bearers from the Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. Recalled at short notice from the Middle East to fulfil their long-planned and traditional duty, they literally had the full weight of responsibility on their shoulders. 

A lead-lined coffin is very heavy and manoeuvring their precious load up and down steps, on and off gun carriages and catafalques, in and out of vehicles — all under the constant gaze of billions on television, not to mention the concerned scrutiny of His Majesty The King, the Royal family and senior members of the Household Division — is no easy task. 

These young guardsmen deserve particular praise. 

Even when the cameras are switched off at the end of the day and the final private service of committal was being held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, their duty will not be over. 

Deep in the Royal Vault under the chapel, the pallbearers had one final unseen duty — to move the late Queen’s body to its final resting place close to her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh, and to her father, King George VI. 

Once all is complete, then these young men too can relax and reflect on their very difficult job, extremely well done. 

Whether a participant in any of the ceremonies of the last ten days or merely a spectator, everyone will take away their own memories and recollections. 

Walking on is what we all must do now. We have a new King. There are many challenges ahead. However, of one thing I am sure: the detailed planning for the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III is well under way when, once again, we will see the pride and professionalism of the British Armed Forces on display. We mourn our late Sovereign’s death; quite properly we grieve; we give thanks; we pause a while and then equally properly we celebrate our new Sovereign’s coronation. 

The bands will march again down the Mall, the harnesses of the Household Cavalry will jangle, the Monarch will enter the Abbey and St Edward’s crown will be placed on his head. God save the King. 

Lord Dannatt is a former Chief of the General Staff

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Royal family says final goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II in ceremony behind closed doors

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1926 — 2022

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1926 — 2022

The late monarch was reunited with her beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in a private interment on Monday night

For 10 long days, the Royal family had shared their grief with the world.

But on Monday night, after the public spectacle of a full state funeral, the Royal family was finally able to bury a much-loved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother in private.

Behind closed doors, the King was joined by a small group of the Queen’s closest family for an interment ceremony in the tiny King George VI Memorial Chapel, an annex of the main chapel at Windsor Castle.

There, the Queen was reunited with her beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, who had been waiting for her in the royal vault since his death last April.

The couple were buried together, reunited in death with the late Queen’s father George VI, and the Queen Mother, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.

Such was the intimate nature of the ceremony that no details were released.

In contrast with the public grief in which they had willingly shared since the Queen died on September 8, this was the moment they could finally let go. Even palace aides were kept in the dark on the basis that the public moment was over.

The service, conducted by the Dean of Windsor, began at 7.30pm Monday London time.

The Queen’s body was interred with the Grenadier Guards’ Queen’s Company Camp Colour – a smaller version of the Royal Standard of the Regiment – which the King placed on her coffin at the end of the committal service.

Only one Royal Standard of the Regiment is presented during a monarch’s reign, and it served as the Queen’s Company Colour throughout her time as monarch.

While the private ceremony took place away from the public gaze, small groups continued to pay their personal respects outside Windsor Castle.

The Royal family have been with her every step of the way – and so too has the public as the world witnessed a state funeral like no other.

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George and Charlotte to join Westminster Abbey mourners

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1926 — 2022

The Queen's coffin will be brought in procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey

Queen's funeral in Westminster Abbey

Prince George and Princess Charlotte will join more than 2,000 guests at the Queen's funeral in Westminster Abbey.

Nine-year-old George and his sister, seven, will form part of a procession with the Royal Family, following the coffin as it enters the church.

Before the service a bell will toll every minute for 96 minutes, marking the length of the Queen's life.

Towards the end of the service, the Last Post will be played before the nation observes a two-minute silence.

With world leaders and dignitaries gathered in the 13th Century church for the service at 11:00 BST, the King and Queen Consort will lead the procession behind the Queen's coffin.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will walk ahead of George and seven-year-old Charlotte, who called the Queen "Gan Gan", followed by their uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and other members of the Royal Family.

George and Charlotte's younger brother Louis, four, is not expected to attend.

The Order of Service shows a service filled with traditional church music and readings from the Bible, with a sermon from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

"I am the resurrection and the life," will be the reading as the royal procession arrives in the abbey, in a service which the Queen helped to plan.

Prime Minister Liz Truss will read a lesson, with prayers from religious leaders including Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster.

The funeral will hear praise for the Queen's long reign, with the Dean of Westminster, David Hoyle, commending her "long life of selfless service”.

The abbey says this will be the first funeral of a monarch held here since the 18th Century, although there have been more recent funerals for the spouses of monarchs.

The music at this historic service will be in keeping with the Queen's faith and tastes. There will be pieces by Ralph Vaughan Williams, JS Bach and Edward Elgar.

New pieces have been composed by Judith Weir and Sir James MacMillan, a leading Scottish composer, whose music featured prominently in the service of thanksgiving at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh.

Baroness Scotland, secretary general of the Commonwealth, will deliver one of the readings, which are interspersed with hymns including The Day Thou Gavest Lord Is Ended and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.

The Lord's My Shepherd will be sung, as it was when the Queen married Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey in 1947.

As the state funeral comes to an end, the Last Post will be played, followed by a two-minute silence and a lament from the Queen's piper.

After the funeral ends at midday in Westminster, a committal service will follow at 16:00 at St George's Chapel in Windsor.

This more intimate setting will include personal touches and private connections. The service includes the Russian Kontakion of the Departed, a hymn Prince Philip had chosen for his own funeral last year.

One of the Bible readings - "I saw a new heaven and a new earth" - was also read at the funeral of the Queen's father and grandparents.

There is music composed by Sir William Henry Harris, an organist who taught the Queen to play the piano.

Another poignant lament will be played by a piper and the committal service will end with the lowering of the Queen's coffin into the royal vault, accompanied by the words: "Go forth upon thy journey from this world, O Christian soul.”

The bells of Westminster Abbey will later be rung - but muffled - as is tradition following the funeral of a sovereign.

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UK news briefing Friday evening London time: Hundreds taken ill in queue to see late Queen's coffin

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1926 — 2022

24-hour wait to see the late Queen lying-in-state 

The queue to see the late Queen lying-in-state has just reopened after being closed for more than seven hours as it became full. 

However, mourners have been warned they face a 24-hour wait to get to the front.

Ambulances have attended to hundreds of people fainting and collapsing in queues to see the late Queen lying in state, the NHS has said. 

The ambulance service said it and partner agencies had cared for 435 patients who fell ill along the route and surrounding areas by the end of Thursday. 

The London Ambulance Service has drawn up plans to deploy an extra 300 staff on the day of the state funeral, with pressures expected to mount. 

Earlier, hundreds of mourners defied an order to stay away and continued to enter the line at Southwark Park, with more creating a queue for the queue. 

It came as China has suggested the UK is guilty of failing to show "proper manners to guests" amid reports that a Chinese government delegation will not be allowed to attend Queen Elizabeth's lying in state in Parliament.

David Beckham caused a commotion in the queue to see the late Queen as he joined the public in line.

Images shared on social media showed fellow members of the queue holding their phones in the air to capture a picture of the 47-year-old former footballer as he waited to pay his respects. 

Many other celebrities also joined the line through London. 

The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth will see the biggest policing operation ever staged in the UK, the Metropolitan Police has said. 

There will be 22 miles of barriers deployed across London amid the biggest VIP protection operation ever undertaken in Britain. 

Officers from almost every force in the country will be in the capital to help ensure the safety of the public, the Royal family and visiting heads of state, who will include Joe Biden and the leaders of the G7 countries. 

They will have been hosted by the King at Buckingham Palace on the eve of the funeral at an official state reception on a scale unprecedented in living memory. 

Some, such as Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's prime minister, will have travelled for more than 24 hours to be at the “reception of the century”.

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Thousands upon thousands queue to see the Queen lying in state

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1926 — 2022

Queen lying in state: Queue a 'complete shambles' as thousands enter after line was 'shut'

Saturday 1am NZ time

The queue to see the Queen lying in state has been branded a "complete shambles" after thousands of people were allowed to enter the line after the Government said it was shut. 

At 9.52am Friday London time, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced on Twitter that entry had been paused for "at least six hours". 

But the message seemingly never made it to the attendants at the gate, and people were able to file through in their thousands.

It wasn't until almost two hours later at 11.36am that the gate was actually closed. A couple who travelled from Manchester at 7.30am said the whole thing was a "complete shambles". 

A crowd has now formed around the entrance in Southwark Park as people beg to be let in. There is also now a queue for the queue.

Downing Street said the queue system to view the Queen's lying in state is going to plan.

The public queue is being paused for at least six hours after reaching capacity this morning.

A Number 10 spokeswoman directed questions to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, but it was "the case that what DCMS have done is they've temporarily paused the queue for at least six hours after it reached maximum capacity.

"That has always been part of our planning and that is to make sure as many people as possible in the queue can enter the Palace of Westminster.”

Confusion around the closure of the queue to see the Queen lying in state continues at Southwark Park.

Thousands of mourners are still filing through the gate, despite instructions from the Government that the queue has been paused until 4pm.

A press officer from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport could be seen making his way to speak to queue officials.

Asked if the queue has been paused yet, he replied: "I'm not sure, I need to go and find out."

Funeral operation biggest in history for London Metropolitan Police

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy told reporters the "hugely complex" policing operation is the biggest in the force's history, surpassing the London 2012 Olympics which saw up to 10,000 police officers on duty per day.

Mr Cundy said: "This will be the largest single policing event that the Met Police has ever undertaken.

"As a single event this is larger than the 2012 Olympics, it is larger than the Platinum Jubilee weekend.

"The range of officers, police staff and all those supporting the operation is truly immense."

It will also be the largest global protection operation the force has dealt with, as hundreds of world leaders, dignitaries and other VIPs are expected to attend the state funeral on Monday.

In the wake of the Queen's death, in mutual aid alone - officers who are drafted in from outside forces to help - there will be 20,000 officer shifts throughout the week and 2,000 officers in a single day at the peak, Mr Cundy said.

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Leave a message of condolence following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

1926 — 2022

Leave a message of condolence at Tasman District Council

service centres and libraries

Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, we have condolence books available at our service centres and libraries for people who would like to leave a message of condolence. 

If you can't make it to one of our service centres or libraries, we also have a dedicated form on our website where you can leave your message: https://bit.ly/3Qw1zmG. 

All messages will be collated and passed on together.

Tasman District Council

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