Ardern given manifesto before massacre

KEY POINTS:
• 50 confirmed dead, with victims ranging in age from 2 to older than 60
• Of the 50 other people injured, 36 remain in Christchurch hospital and 11 are in a critical condition, as is the four-year-old boy transported to Starship in Auckland
• Australian-born Dunedin resident Brenton Harrison Tarrant has appeared in court charged with murder
• Two other people, a man and a woman, arrested soon after the shootings were not linked to the gunman
• The woman had been released without charge; the man had been charged with firearms offences
• Kiwis have already donated $4.3m for the victims' families

The Prime Minister's Office has confirmed it received a copy of a "manifesto" from the alleged Christchurch mosque terror gunman less than 10 minutes before the deadly attacks began on Friday - along with about 70 others recipients.

Most of the other recipients were media, both domestic and international, a spokesman for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said - although the New Zealand Herald was not listed among them.

It had been framed as though events had occurred, he said.

"The mail was setting his reasons for doing it. He didn't say this is what I am about to do. There was no opportunity to stop it."

The email had gone to Ardern's generic address.

Other politicians on the mailing list were National leader Simon Bridges and Speaker Trevor Mallard.

Ardern would not be releasing its contents, the time it was received or even what was in the subject line.

"It does not set out what he was about to do. It was written as if it had occurred, to explain what obviously was about to play out."

The Prime Minister flew back to Wellington from Christchurch last night and was expected to make a statement today.

Fifty people are now been confirmed to have died in the attacks at two mosques.

Police said today 36 people remain in hospital in the Canterbury District, including 11 in critical condition.

The four-year-old child transported to Starship Hospital in Auckland yesterday remained in a critical condition.

'LONE WOLF' SAY POLICE

The alleged gunman appeared to have been a lone wolf, say police who are piecing together New Zealand's worst act of terrorism.

Brenton Harrison Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian national, smirked and flashed a White Power sign as he appeared manacled and barefoot in court yesterday.

He has been charged with murdering a man during Friday's busy prayers. Police say more charges are likely.

Police allege Tarrant travelled between the Al Noor Mosque beside Hagley Park in central Christchurch and Linwood Mosque some 5km away within seven minutes.

After just 36 minutes dozens were dead and injured.

Tarrant was caught on Brougham St, dragged from a car by two officers, and taken into custody.

Two others arrested during the chaos of the shooting aftermath have not yet been charged.

Tarrant had allegedly been living in Dunedin for two years, spending much of his time travelling overseas. He was not on any watch lists in New Zealand or Australia.

There was a large police presence at his Dunedin address in Somerville Street yesterday, with bomb experts having scoured the property.

Police said five guns were used in the attacks, with two semi-automatic weapons, two shotguns, and a lever action firearm recovered from the scenes.

Ardern said Tarrant acquired a gun licence in November 2017. She also confirmed that Tarrant had travelled the world with "sporadic periods of time spent in New Zealand".