Chief suspect Brenton Tarrant, 28, an Australian citizen, appeared in court on a murder charge
The attacker who killed 49 people had a licence for his guns, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says
He was not known to the security services
Pakistan names six nationals among those killed
The first victim to be identified was named by his family as Daoud Nabi, 71, originally from Afghanistan
Flags are flying at half-mast on government buildings in Christchurch
Facebook has launched a crisis response page for Christchurch,, external to enable people in the area to identify themselves as "safe". People are using the page to offer food and shelter to affected people.
"Let me know if someone need any type of help, I will try to do my best. God Bless U All," says one post.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attacks in Christchurch, saying that "terrorism does not have a religion".
In a later tweet he said he blamed "these increasing terror attacks on the current Islamophobia post-9/11 where Islam & 1.3 bn Muslims have collectively been blamed for any act of terror by a Muslim".
This is the latest warning from the UK consulate in New Zealand to citizens.
Police have cordoned off Auckland's Britomart Station after using controlled explosions to tackle suspicious packages. Auckland is right in the north of New Zealand, about 1,000km (620 miles) from Christchurch.
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New Zealand Herald journalist Kurt Bayer told the BBC that survivors had told him how they'd fled the Al Noor mosque through a window in the back of the building and then hid behind vehicles in the car park.
They told him they later saw what they thought were around 30 dead bodies as well as many injured inside and in front of the mosque.
The UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweets:
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Officials says children are among the victims being treated for gunshot wounds at Christchurch Hospital.
A volunteer group covering Auckland has tweeted that police appear to be being "proactive" about abandoned bags in Britomart train station.
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Local journalist Kurt Bayer of the New Zealand Herald told the BBC the past hours in the city had been chaotic.
"This is something that’s been unimaginable for this country," he said. "We have never have seen anything like this, this level of hate and depravity."
He said people he’d spoken to thought that unlike after the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 - which killed 185 people and levelled the city centre - they couldn’t see the country recovering from this tragedy.
Here's a quick summary of the press conference just now from a visibly distressed PM Jacinda Ardern. She told reporters:
Police have used controlled explosions to tackle suspicious packages found near Britomart Train Station in New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, the NZ Herald reports., external
PM Ardern said New Zealand's "values will not and cannot be shaken by this attack".
Asked about the danger of copycat attacks, the PM said "we must always be vigilant".
She said there would be a "heightened response from our agencies at every level, to give assurances of safety to the public."
"My plan is to get to Christchurch as early as I can," the prime minister says as she wraps up her press conference in the capital, Wellington.
She hopes to be in the city by Saturday morning.
"I can’t give specifics about who was directly involved at each mosque," Jacinda Ardern says, but the police commissioner is due to give a press conference shortly and he may be able to give more information.
The PM confirms there were improvised explosive devices attached to the attackers' vehicles, but cannot say whether they were planning a suicide car attack.
She again urges people to stop sharing video of the attack and the alleged attacker's manifesto.
"My message would be we should not be perpetuating, sharing, giving any oxygen to this act of violence and the message that’s set behind it."
Online platforms are working to take down the images, Ms Ardern says.
"I ask people – don’t share them".
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Jacinda Ardern is urging people to listen to police advice as the security level remains high. Additional police are being brought in from around the country.
The PM says the attackers were not on any terror watchlists but clearly held extremist views.
The prime minister says New Zealand was not chosen because it is a safe harbour for hatred or division.
"We were chosen for the very fact that we are none of those." She says New Zealand was attacked because of its "diversity, kindness, compassion" and because it is "a home for those who share our values, a refuge for those who need it. Those values I can assure you will not and cannot be shaken by this attack."