All was silent apart from the sound of the call to prayer, playing through the loudspeakers in Stratford's Prospero Place this afternoon.
At the end of the call to prayer, two minutes silence was held, as the couple of hundred people gathered remembered those who had died in last week's terror attack in Christchurch.
The ceremony, organised by Stratford District Council, began with a karanga, followed by a mihimihi.
Listen to the students from Te Kura o Ngaruahinerangi sing.
Students from Te Kura o Ngaruahinerangi then sang, as did pupils from Avon Primary
before the call to prayer was played.
Listen to pupils from Avon Primary.
Deputy mayor Alan Jamieson told those gathered they could choose to sit or stand during the call to prayer, but asked everyone remained silent as a sign of respect.
Following the call to prayer and the two minutes silence, Mayor Neil Volzke spoke to the crowd.
He told those gathered the events of last week had changed New Zealand, and possibly the world, forever.
"Like many of you, I have asked how this has happened in New Zealand, and like many of you, I have had no answer."
Neil spoke of the unity and solidarity displayed by New Zealanders in the past week and said he had visited the Hawera Islamic Centre last Saturday to bring a message of love, support and sympathy to all Muslims in the community.
Speaking at the civic ceremony, Neil had a strong message for everyone present.
"Hatred has no place in New Zealand," he said.
"We must reject and condemn all forms of hate speech, discrimination and racism because all extremism starts with this. We must stand up and never stand aside."
Pupils from St Joseph's Stratford then sang the national anthem before the ceremony formally ended.