Posted October 03, 2019 14:05:35

Photo: Gun laws were swiftly changed after 51 people were shot dead in the Christchurch mosque attacks. (ABC News: Brendan Esposito)

The man accused of killing 51 people at two mosques in southern New Zealand has withdrawn his application to move his trial away from Christchurch, where the massacre took place.

The High Court convened on Thursday morning — with the accused man, Australian Brenton Tarrant appearing via video link from jail — only to receive instructions that the application to shift the trial to Auckland would not be pursued.

Justice Cameron Mander therefore dismissed the move, meaning the trial will take place in Christchurch from June 2 next year.

Mr Tarrant has pleaded not guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one charge of terrorism.

He is now being held in isolation north of Auckland at Paremoremo, New Zealand's only maximum security prison.

Photo: In this courtroom drawing, Brenton Tarrant, appeared via video link from a high security facility in Auckland. (AP: Stephanie McEwin)

The charges stem from attacks on two Christchurch mosques, at al-Noor and Linwood, during Friday prayers in March.

Family and friends of the victims packed the courtroom for the latest hearing and minutes before it began, they were told to expect a development.

Mr Tarrant, clad in a prison uniform and displayed on a big screen in the court room, tried to catch the attention of the court during the 10-minute hearing, smirking and winking.

The legal proceedings cannot be reported as they are the subject of suppression orders.

The Christchurch shooting has been described by New Zealand police as an attack by a "lone wolf" terrorist, but analysts say the motivations behind such attacks are not entirely ideologically isolated.

As the hearing finished, Mr Tarrant began ranting and shouting into the microphone, but as it was set on mute, his outburst wasn't heard.

Outside the court, Mr Tarrant's lawyer, Shane Tait, declined to answer questions on why his client decided to withdraw the application.

Affected community members gathered together after the hearing, receiving legal briefings on the outcome.

Wasseim al Sati, who was shot with his four-year-old daughter in the attacks, was one of many inside the court room.

He said many community members were pleased the trial would be held in Christchurch.

"Otherwise I would have ended up travelling every court time, that was going to have been an extra cost, " he said.

"Mentally, I am prepared [to attend] because I want to chase it up. It's good now it's going to be held in Christchurch."

The timing of the trial has already been shifted, moved back four weeks on an application from the Crown, so it would not clash with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Tarrant is next due in court on December 12 for a procedural hearing.

AAP

Topics: law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, terrorism, crime, murder-and-manslaughter, new-zealand, australia