Wellington: The man accused of murdering 51 Muslim worshippers in March's New Zealand mosque attacks on Thursday dropped a bid to move his trial from the city where the massacre occurred.

The High Court held a pre-trial hearing in Christchurch to consider an application from alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant to shift the trial venue from the South Island city. But judge Cameron Mander announced at the beginning of proceedings that the defence had decided not to pursue the application, which was originally lodged in August.