Survey shows most sectors in Chch have laid off staff
Audio, Radio New Zealand
The most comprehensive survey carried out so far of Canterbury businesses following the earthquakes, has found the majority of sectors have had to lay off workers.
The most comprehensive survey carried out so far of Canterbury businesses following the earthquakes, has found the majority of sectors have had to lay off workers.
David Neal is the national programmes manager for the Red Cross. The Christchurch Red Cross response team is out with the fire service, searching buildings for people who might be trapped.
The company hired by the Government to carry out earthquake repairs in Canterbury is refusing to install insulation at the same time as it replaces old cladding on houses.
Seven $750 a day - plus expenses. That's the sum being earned by more than 414 people employed by the Earthquake Commission to carry out property inspections in Christchurch.
The Plumbers industry body says some plumbers helping Christchurch quake victims are struggling to stay afloat, because the Earthquake Commission is not paying out fast enough for emergency repairs.
Rapid assessment teams are being sent out across quake hit Canterbury with the Earthquake Commission promising that up to 180-thousand homes will be inspected within the next eight weeks.
The Earthquake Recovery Minister, Gerry Brownlee, is in Europe in an attempt to convince insurance companies not to pull out of New Zealand after the Christchurch earthquakes.
The Earthquake Commission has more than doubled its estimate of how much it will pay out for Canterbury earthquake claims, from three billion dollars to seven billion dollars.
Public bus tours of Christchurch's red zone will start off with a warning that the passengers could be trapped by an earthquake and may not make it out alive.
The Green Party has spelt out how it would impose an earthquake levy on higher earning taxpayers, to fund the rebuild of Christchurch, if it becomes part of the next Government.
A Christchurch plumber owed tens of thousands of dollars by the Earthquake Commission says the EQC has appointed a case manager to sort out the money it owes him.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Residents will find out today if they can remain, or if they'll have to leave their homes. With guests Pam Harrison, a Dallington resident who expects she'll have to abandon her home; Leanne Curtis, CanCERN spokesperson and Avonside resident; and David Middleton, former Chief Executive of the Earthquake Commission for 17 years.
Research indicates that up to 40% of small companies in Christchurch could eventually fold following the earthquake on 22 February; Research into the benefits of airline air-points programmes in the United States has concluded that it's difficult to redeem the air miles and to understand the"ins and outs"of each airline's scheme.
Topics - New Zealanders paid tribute to the victims of the Christchurch earthquake today - with two minutes' silence marking the moment the disaster struck last week. The emergency ambulance service provider, St John, has hit out at hoax callers who have been wasting valuable time and ambulance service resources following Tuesday's earthquake.
After the devastating effects on Christchurch, we are all aware of the damage earthquakes can cause. But in New Zealand, a tsunami could be just as damaging. University of Auckland engineers Asaad Shamseldin and PhD student Reza Shafiei are creating waves in the lab to work out how safe our buildings are, if a tsunami hits. Ruth Beran goes to visit them.
Shift to quake recovery operation devastating for survivor;Brother of missing woman speaks out;Police say end of rescue effort sad day for all concerned;Other families trying to come to grips with rescue's end;Hundreds struggle on with life inside Christchurch cordon;Christ's College spared from large scale damage;Gang patches can return - Hells Angels lawyer;Botany to elect new MP tomorrow;Earthquake Minister on shift to recovery operation.
Topics - The Government has just announced it is to allocate $70 million from its Canterbury Earthquake Appeal fund of about 100 million. National's party list is out and Tau Henare is one of the biggest losers. As Pacific leaders gather in Auckland for the Pacific Forum meeting this week, several of the nations' leader are calling for Fiji to be restored as a member of the Forum..
In quake-ravaged Christchurch businesses are tentatively restarting, and infrastructure is being restored, but there's ongoing uncertainty about job losses and how people will survive financially. Within six days of the February earthquake; the Government had introduced a subsidy scheme for businesses and their employees, as well as people who'd found themselves out of a job. Now there's growing disquiet about what will happen to thousands of Cantabrians when that support scheme finishes at the end of May.
Thousands of Christchurch refugees have poured into Timaru since the earthquake on February 22, boosting its population by nearly 20 per cent. Social services are giving out hundreds of food parcels, blankets, toiletries and clothes every day as well as finding accommodation for people who have turned up in town with nothing. Major Dean Herring of the Salvation Army in Timaru has been helping evacuees find places to live as well as dealing with the huge piles of donated goods.
A review of the week's news including: Accusations in a new book that the defence force misled Ministers about what it's been doing in Afganistan, the EQC more than doubles it's estimate of how much it will pay out on Christchurch earthquakes claims, more than 800 military medals worth a quarter of a million dollars revealed stolen from the Waiouru National Army Museum, strong support for a proposed coal mine on the West Coast's Denniston plateau, will the Rugby World Cup deliver a hoped for economic boost as forcast, New Zealand shotput champion Valerie Adams wins her third straight World championship and the Penquin 'Happy Feet' heads south.