The two officers are Senior Constable Jim Manning, of Lincoln, and Senior Constable Scott Carmody, of Arthur's Pass. The suppression order stopping their names from being released was lifted by the court on Tuesday.
The two officers apprehended the alleged gunman on Brougham St on March 15 following the attack which killed 51 people at the Al Noor mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre. The arrest was caught on camera by a passerby.
The officers used their police vehicle to ram the alleged gunman’s car off the road before arresting him.
Said Senior Constables Manning and Carmody: “This was an extraordinary event and we want to acknowledge the victims of this tragedy.
“Since 15 March we have received a huge amount of support from leaders at New Zealand Police such as Canterbury District Commander John Price, Commissioner Mike Bush and the Police Association."
In the weeks following March 15, Senior Constable Manning and Senior Constable Carmody were visited by the commissioner and Duke of Cambridge Prince William and presented with the Commissioner’s Gold Merit Award.
"Such honours are very humbling but this award is for all police officers who put themselves in harm’s way every day. From our perspective we were doing our job and I know our colleagues would have done the same thing in that situation," said Senior Constables Manning and Carmody.
“Our actions are reflective of who we are as police officers and as Kiwis.
"Every day when we go to work the safety of the community is our priority and that was our focus when we made that arrest on 15 March."
“The actions of Senior Constable Manning and Senior Constable Carmody on 15 March speak volumes to who they are as people and as police officers," Commissioner Bush said.
"They put their lives at risk to stop the alleged gunman and stop further harm.
“The events of 15 March were truly tragic and something we as a country have never seen before and I would hope never see again.
"I am proud to have been able to acknowledge the actions of Senior Constable Manning and Senior Constable Carmody with the presenting of the Commissioner’s Gold Merit Award."
Senior Constable Manning joined the New Zealand police in 1987 and Senior Constable Carmody joined in 1993.
Both have worked in Canterbury for the last 26 years. While name suppression has been lifted the matter is still before the courts and Senior Constable Manning and Senior Constable Carmody are not able speak further about their actions on March 15.
Senior Constable Manning has previously been in the media after he was targeted on Facebook by a man he apprehended in 2017.
Gun lobbyist Richard Lincoln posted derogatory messages about Senior Constable Manning on the National Shooters Association (NSA) Facebook page.
He also sent a Facebook message to Senior Constable Manning's wife which said her husband would probably serve time in a "nice cold prison cell" and asked "how did you ever wind up marrying a lowlife scumbag thug?"
