National Remembrance Service for the victims of the Christchurch terrorist attack
From opening bank accounts for women who didn't have them, to calming anger at delayed burial rites - Victim Support workers have had to rapidly adapt to cultural sensitivities the past fortnight in Christchurch.
Since the March 15 mosque terror attacks, around 20 Victim Support workers have been flown into Christchurch from across the country to work long days with families of the deceased.
More than 100 case-workers across New Zealand are also working with affected relatives, with the scale of grief they've encountered described as "unprecedented".
But as Victim Support account manager Jennifer Brasch acknowledges, the case-workers "are learning a lot as we go" when it comes to the intricacies of Islamic custom and belief in dealing with death.
Lorayne Rugg is an Auckland-based fulltime homicide-trained Victim Support worker - one of only three in New Zealand.
After being flown into Christchurch on Monday, March 18, she said the response from victims had been incredibly warm and inviting, and the Islamic faith had been integral to their grieving.
"It's a lot of positive energy. You would expect a lot of anger and fear, whereas their faith really holds them strong," Rugg said.
"There has been this calmness and openness. That's the message I've had from families, the opposite from what the perpetrator thought could be achieved."
Auckland based full-time homicide trained Victim Support worker Lorayne Rugg.
Usma Azhar - a women's coordinator for the Muslim Association of Canterbury (MAS) who has been providing tutorials to Victim Support staff in Christchurch on Islamic culture and religion - said there were 20 different ethnicities affected in the attacks and their Islamic customs varied.
Accordingly, Azhar has tailored her tutorials to four distinct geographical Muslim "clusters": African, central Asian, Middle Eastern and the Indian subcontinent.
"Yes, faith system is the same, practices are the same, but there are differences that cannot be addressed generally across countrymen," Azhar said.
One example was the period of Iddat some Muslim women observe following the death of their husbands.
"For 100 days females usually don't speak much and they grieve for their husbands. It is different from region to region, some don't bother," Azhar said.
"But in India and Bangladesh they will be grieving a lot, not going out. They would not be happy to work with any male support worker."
The belief in martyrdom, and its consolation for relatives, is also something Victim Support workers have had to be conscious of.
"For some Muslim countries, they will congratulate on being a martyr, particularly Middle Eastern regions. They sacrificed their lives in the name of God," Azhar said.
Victim Support has also organised the largest online fundraising effort for the Christchurch victims - with more than $9 million now having been donated to their Givealittle page.
Muslim men embrace during Friday prayers at Hagley Park in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday, March 22.
Yet an unforeseen logistical hurdle was that many of the Muslim women didn't have bank accounts to transfer support funds.
Victim Support's Jennifer Brasch said: "Our support workers will assist women who are in need to set up bank accounts for payment and provide other practical support, such as funding for driving lessons etc".
The delayed burial of those killed in the shootings had also been a point of anxiety for relatives, with Islamic religious law calling for it to be undertaken as soon as possible after death.
"Initially they were very angry burial would be delayed," Azhar said.
"In our belief system we consider the human being as belonging to God.
"As community leaders we made things understandable - you have to wait because police have to complete their process accurately. We also don't put any cosmetics on the body, we leave it in whatever condition God has left them."
