Mr Wayne Maley, NZBM, for an act of bravery
On 15 March 2019 around 1.40pm, a lone gunman armed with semi-automatic shotguns and assault rifles, with several hundred rounds of ammunition, commenced an attack on the Al Noor Mosque on Deans Avenue in Christchurch.
During the attack on the Mosque the gunman returned to his vehicle to collect further ammunition, and fired multiple shots along both directions of the street, on one occasion firing 27 shots in one direction.
Mr Wayne Maley and a colleague were driving in a large utility vehicle along Deans Avenue in Christchurch, near the near the vicinity of the Al Noor Mosque, at around 1.40pm.
Mr Maley heard gunshots coming from the vicinity of the Mosque, and saw the gunman firing a weapon and people falling over in the grounds of the Mosque.
As they continued along the road, he could also see people falling over on the footpath.
Mr Maley realised the severity of the situation and could see cars on the other side of the road heading towards them that would then drive past the Mosque and into danger.
He swung his vehicle across the lanes at the end of a traffic island, and with his colleague began directing traffic to turn around.
Mr Maley could see people lying on the road and the footpath back towards the Mosque, so approached to provide help.
He came across several victims who had been shot, and provided assistance to them.
At this point Mr Maley could see ambulances at a cordon point on Deans Avenue but knew that they would not be allowed into the area until the Police had secured it.
He joined others assisting nearby to plan an evacuation of four victims from within the cordon.
Mr Maley and his colleague helped load four victims into a vehicle, which then left the scene.
Mr Maley and his colleague continued to provide assistance to victims until ambulance personnel arrived.