The Earthquake Commission has admitted its privacy breach was almost 10 times worse than it had said, with the details of all 83-thousand clients in its Canterbury Home Repair programme being emailed out.
Peter Marshall is managing director of architectural firm Warren and Mahoney, part of the team selected to carry out the task of the redesign of Christchurch after the earthquakes. (This version of the audio does not include music)
This afternoon the Government will announce its initial package to deal with land badly damaged by earthquakes in Christchurch, including offering a pay out to households who want to take the cash.
Families of people still missing after last week's Christchurch earthquake have been told there is now officially no hope of finding survivors, though searchers are still insisting they are not ruling out a miracle.
More than four years after earthquakes first damaged home in Christchurch, hundreds of Canterbury homeowners are finding out that they may have to wait another two years before their damaged homes are repaired.
Topics - Official statistics released today show New Zealand's population has increased by 214,000 people in the seven years since the last census. The census, usually held every five years, was delayed in 2011 due to the Christchurch earthquakes. In what has been described as a "stealthy assault" in Somalia - and also in a raid in Libya's capital - US special forces have struck out against Islamic extremists who carried out terrorist attacks in East Africa. The commandos snatched a Libyan al-Qaida leader allegedly involved in the bombings of US embassies 15 years ago - but aborted a mission to capture a terrorist suspect linked to last month's Nairobi shopping mall attack after a fierce firefight.
Christchurch and its surrounding towns are slowly starting to be rebuilt after the devastating earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. Our political editor Brent Edwards has been in Christchurch to find out whether the rebuild debate will dominate the election campaign in the city.
The sounds of Bruce Springsteen will ring out around Christchurch tonight, ahead of the sixth anniversary of the deadly February 2011 earthquake in the region. Long time fans join us to discuss what they're expecting from tonight's gig.
Earthquakes are one of the few natural disasters Australia seldom experiences. We find out from curator Felicity Milburn how our neighbours have responded to an exhibition of earthquake related art direct from Christchurch.
Overlapping claims and general confusion are delaying money payable to New Zealand for damage from the Canterbury earthquakes. The money involved is payable through reinsurance schemes taken out by insurance companies in this country, with firms overseas.
The head of the Christchurch cathedral thinks people visiting the church may have been killed there when the quake hit this afternoon. The Dean of Christchurch, Peter Beck, says they rushed to get as many people out of the Cathedral as they could.
Scientists are just beginning to understand why the recent Canterbury earthquakes 'punched above their size', and their findings could change international scientific thinking about earthquakes. Alison Ballance talks with GNS seismologists Martin Reyners and Bill Fry to find out more.
Since the February 22nd earthquake, an influx of displaced Christchurch residents have made North Canterbury their temporary home. Cosmo Kentish-Barnes finds out how some people have coped with this dramatic event and what locals are doing to support them.
Jim Hay keeps ticking along in a career that's spanned more than 30 years. He's a watchmaker and although he'll be the first to tell you time's just about run out on wrist watches, his skills in clock repairs are in demand since the Christchurch earthquake.
The Christchurch City Council's control of the earthquake recovery plan has been taken out of its hands, to the delight of business leaders, but to the chagrin of some local councilors.
Today marks seven years since the devastating Christchurch Earthquake. We turn out attention to the Garden City, first celebrating the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra’s 60th anniversary with violinist Natalia Lomeiko, then organist Martin Setchell on the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church organ rising from the rubble.
The Christchurch Art Gallery is on track to reopen late next year, almost five years after the most devastating of the city's earthquakes put it out of commission. One of the key players in this important next step is Dr Lara Strongman who is the gallery's new senior curator.
More than 800 medals are stolen from the War Memorial Museum in Waiouru. Shares in State Owned Enterprises will be capped at 10 percent and gaps in the government's insurance cover will leave many schools damaged by the earthquakes in Canterbury out of pocket.
Many people in this city are, yet again, cleaning up after a major earthquake. An increasing number of householders, especially in the badly hit eastern suburbs, say they're close to hanging up their spades and shipping out.
Tax, water and housing concerns were all debated at length by Bill English and Jacinda Ardern in last night's TVNZ leaders debate. The debate came just an hour after shock 1 News Colmar Brunton poll put Labour out in front. There have been fires and explosions at a flood damaged chemical plant near Houston forcing the evacuation of people in nearby homes. A block of flats in Aro Street has been evacuated after a large slip has come down behind it. After heavy rains and flooding a Mumbai building has collapsed, killing at least 23 people. Biosecurity officials say they expect to decide by the end of the year whether they will need to order the destruction of dairy herds to wipe out a cow disease that's broken out in the South Island. It's been revealed that not a single one of New Zealand's 315 police buildings constructed before 2011 have had a full earthquake safety check. People who've bought houses in Canterbury since the September 2010 earthquake and are still battling with insurance companies over repairs, have been told that if they want to take the matter to court, today is their last chance. The Government has begun urgent talks with Australia over the Queensland's state government's "discriminatory" trade policy which takes effect today. Trade Minister Todd McClay joins us.
Southern Response is back in court today - this time having a final go at arguing that a class action against it should not be an 'opt-out'. Christchurch residents Brendan and Colleen Ross say the state insurer deliberately withheld the true cost of repairing their home which was damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes. They are now among 3000 people represented in a class action led by Christchurch lawyer Grant Cameron. In September last year the Court of Appeal decided the class action could proceed on an 'opt-out' basis - which means it would cover more people and potentially cost the state-owned insurer more money if it loses. Southern Response is challenging that decision in the Supreme Court, a two day hearing wrapped up on Tuesday. Checkpoint reporter Logan Church was there.
Businesses in the Christchurch suburb of New Brighton are demanding urgent action to pull the area out of an economic slump. The seaside town has struggled since the Canterbury Earthquakes, with thousands of people - and customers - leaving the area due to land damage under their homes.
It's no longer politics as usual in Christchurch following a series of devastating earthquakes. Not everyone in the city and its surrounding areas is happy with last week's offer to buy out those households on land which has suffered the worst damage. Our political editor Brent Edwards investigates.
The Aromaunga Flowers nursery in Heathcote, Christchurch sits right above the point where the earthquake struck on 22 February. Cosmo Kentish-Barnes visits the growing business to find out what damage has been done and how owner John Baxter and his partner Elisabeth Marsh are coping.
A very large earthquake in the central North Island could trigger a big lahar from Mt Ruapehu. In the recent past it's been eruptions that have led to lahars on the mountain. But scientists from Canterbury University have checking what else might cause cause mud and debris to spew out of the crater lake.
A scheme called Crack'd for Christchurch wants to make a beautiful memorial out of the fine china broken in the earthquake. Jenny Cooper is one of a group of people who plan to create an inner-city mosaic that is an art work in its own right, but also acts as a memorial to old Christchurch.
The former Earthquake Commission minister, Gerry Brownlee, is defending EQC over claims its assessors in Christchurch were not properly qualified. A growing number of homeowners in the city are discovering EQC assessors have completely missed quake damage including broken foundations costing hundreds of thousands to repair. That's been disastrous for people who've bought homes with hidden damage who are sometimes finding private insurers unwilling to cover the cost of putting right mistakes made by EQC. The company hired by EQC to carry out repairs was Fletcher Construction. Its chief executive at the time, Mark Binns, told Checkpoint that EQC probably hired unqualified people to assess quake damaged homes. Gerry Brownlee refused to be drawn on the comments from Mr Binns. But when asked by RNZ Christchurch reporter, Conan Young, if it was acceptable to have retired policemen, school principals and vacuum cleaner salesmen carrying out assessments for EQC, he admitted finding enough people to do the job was a challenge.
A fault line on Dunedin's doorstep could cause an earthquake as destructive as 2010's Canterbury quake. Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles explains why the new superbug CPE is a serious threat. A New Zealand Medical Journal article warns a group of bacteria known as Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae pose an enormous risk to people in intensive care, or having bone marrow or lung or liver transplants. Mercedes-Benz has successfully trialled a new app called Croove, CROOVE, which will let Mercedes owners rent out their cars. Now it's being officially rolled out. The panellists discuss the sign outside a pub in New Brighton reading "Vegan buffet. Just kidding now get away from our sign - you pansy." Is this just a joke or is it deeply offensive? The Kentucky doctor dragged off a United Airlines flight from Chicago earlier this month has received a financial settlement from the airline.
With many in Christchurch still living in earthquake damaged houses, the cold snap has prompted a call for temporary emergency shelters. Daphne Lewis-Mannix lives in a quake-damaged home in New Brighton. Her power was out last night, and she's been shivering overnight, already sick with a cold before the storm hit.
Earthquakes are one of the few natural disasters Australia seldom experiences. We find out from curator Felicity Milburn how our neighbours have responded to an exhibition of earthquake related art direct from Christchurch. Tomorrow will be the same (but not as this is), on show in Mandurah in Western Australia.