Residents of some Christchurch suburbs could be in for bigger than expected rates rises after the first QV valuations since the earthquakes. The average Christchurch home now has a rating value of 455 thousand dollars, which translates into an annual rates bill of just over two thousand dollars.
Documents obtained by Radio New Zealand show WorkSafe New Zealand was still grappling to get on top of asbestos dangers in the Christchurch rebuild nearly two years after the February 2011 earthquake.
New research shows many Cantabrians are still struggling to cope with the after effects of the earthquakes.
And when the devastating 6.3 magnitude quake hit Christchurch, people turned to Radio New Zealand for news.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority will be travelling the length of New Zealand this week to drum up investment in the rebuild of Christchurch's city centre.
Ports of Auckland says incidents such as the strikes which crippled its operations and the Canterbury earthquakes which disrupted the Port of Lyttelton's operations shows New Zealand needs a resilient port sector.
Topics - A new two million dollar fund has been launched to urgently help community groups to meet increased demand after Canterbury's earthquakes. The Need Help Now Fund is part of a special 25 million dollar earthquake allocation set up (last year) by the Canterbury Community Trust. The Mana Party leader Hone Harawira is prepared to lose senior party figures such as founding member Sue Bradford over a proposed link with Kim Dotcom's Internet Party. And what about Gareth Morgan's idea of a Universal basic income? John Minto is proposing a universal basic income paid to every New Zealander, out of government tax revenue.
Topics - scientists are wondering how the light gets out. Maybe there is a cosmic crack in everything, because in the Journal Astrophysical Letters it is noted that there is a huge deficit of light in the universe. Owners of heritage apartments in Auckland face becoming "impoverished" according to a high-profile real estate figure, because of new laws around earthquake strengthening. Martin Dunn of City Sales says the Building Amendment Bill is "overkill". He says those trying to sell heritage apartments are having a difficult time because of the new rules. Jim Anderton, has again raised the issue of whether the Christchurch Cathedral has to come down.
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.
The historic home of New Zealand's most popular beer has been secured with a forty-million dollar upgrade. The Prime Minister John Key yesterday officially opened the redeveloped Speight's Brewery in central Dunedin, which has taken over the Lion company's South Island production because of the Christchurch earthquakes.
To Canterbury now where the recent earthquakes have reignited interest in civil defence. Katy Gosset drops in on a major training exercise where there's no shortage of fresh blood.
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 EQC has got the green light to start settling the claims of thousands of Christchurch people whose homes became more at risk of flooding after the earthquakes.
A Christchurch lawyer with more than 100 insurance cases before the courts is dismissing Labour's plans for a special Earthquake Court.
A book written by two Christchurch women to help the region's children deal with the stress of the earthquakes has been endorsed by the director of Civil Defence, John Hamilton.
Three years on from the earthquakes of 2011, Census data now confirms massive changes to the face and shape of Christchurch.
Topics - A big study from Harvard and UC Berkeley has looked back into family trees, over centuries, to determine how social mobility has changed. The "Moon man" has used his claimed Christchurch earthquake predictions to defeat an Advertising Standards Authority complaint over his weather forecasting website. The Prime Minister John Key says Labour's flat performance in recent polls is because it's focusing on the wrong issues.
More than 120 disgruntled Christchurch homeowners are taking the Earthquake Commission to court for not doing enough to fix their homes. The law firm, Anthony Harper, has been looking for participants for the group action since last year and has confirmed today it has the numbers to proceed.
An historic Christchurch clock tower damaged in the earthquakes was unveiled today, after undergoing more than eight hundred thousand dollars of repairs.
Professional and personal partners Victoria Flight and John Drew about the nutritional benefits of coconut oil, and the decision to develop their business 'Blue Coconut' after experiencing a deeply traumatic event in Christchurch's earthquake of February 2011.
A Christchurch firefighter who helped amputate a man's leg to free him from earthquake wreckage has been given a rare honour for exceptional bravery.
Johanna McCord moved to Christchurch just before the first earthquake in September nearly four years ago. But she fell in love with the city, regardless of its tectonic troubles. Johanna has just set up a blog called 'We Built This City' which is designed to showcase some of Christchurch's businesses and events. More than an information hub, it takes a personal look at some of the people who are really making a difference in the quake struck city.
'Designed by an incompetent engineer, supervised by an irresponsible engineer and constructed by a fake engineer'. Those were the views of the Christchurch Earthquake Families Group, heard today, at the first - and only - disciplinary hearing to be held against anyone who designed and built the CTV building in Christchurch.
The Labour Party wrapped up its Canterbury Recovery Package in Christchurch today, announcing it would appoint qualified locals to govern the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority.
Owners of earthquake-damaged land in Christchurch may not get an individual payout from the Earthquake Commission if it goes ahead instead with a more widespread approach to fixing the land.
A Christchurch resthome under stress after the earthquakes is being blamed for systemic failures that ended in a frail elderly woman dying.
Topics - A Christchurch resident says he just wants to get on with his life after his house was flooded for the ninth time since the 2011 earthquake. Fairfax newspapers today feature the story of an elderly gentleman who has been burgled so many times he's afraid to sleep in his own home. In Southland - A 72-year old woman has had her 30-year church membership revoked because she is living in a de facto relationship.
In Christchurch today the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took time to talk to some of the families of those who died in the February 2011 earthquake.
A deepsea remote controlled sub is being sent in to look for the missing Malaysian plane. A woman wrongly diagnosed with cancer endures unnecessary surgery and royal couple meet with families of Christchurch earthquake victims.
Topics - The Parole Board has decided that Teina Pora should be released from prison. Pora has served 21 years of a life sentence for murdering and raping Susan Burdett in Auckland in 1992. He continues to protest his innocence, and he'll appear before the Privy Council in London at the end of the year in an effort to clear his name. A coroner's report criticises almost every aspect of the Fire Service's response to the CTV building collapse that killed 115 people in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Gordon Matenga says more people, more resources, better communication and a better structure might have improved the chances of saving more lives that day.