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.
Topics - Eight days on from the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 161 people in Christchurch, officials have announced that the rescue effort will now transition to a recovery operation. Dunedin shares the nation's sorrow for Christchurch - but the ODT reports today that it could also benefit from an influx of workers and businesses relocating from the Garden City. Some Christchurch landlords have been labelled opportunistic vultures for ramping up rents for homeless businesses trying to find temporary office space.
Australian cricket legend Shane Warne is top billing on an all-star lineup of former cricketers and sporting personalities for a Christchurch earthquake appeal charity match in Wellington on Sunday March the 13th. Warne will play in Stephen Fleming's Canterbury Invitation Eleven against Martin Crowe's Wellington Legends at the Basin Reserve.
A big bake off is being planned in Auckland this weekend to raise funds for the people affected by the Christchurch earthquake. The sale is taking place at Queen Elizabeth Square, opposite Britomart on Monday from 10.30 to 12.30. All the funds raised will go to the Red Cross. The organiser Glenn Browne has had such a strong response he's had to close the doors of his business and concentrate on the event.
Topics - A magnitude 4.7 earthquake that rattled Wellington early this morning was the second to hit the capital in less than a week. Your ideas for economic measures to stimulate Christchurch's recovery continue to flow in.
Topics - The Earthquake Recovery Minister, Gerry Brownlee, says it is important to be realistic about the demolition of Christchurch's heritage buildings following the powerful earthquake there last month. Motorists should prepare themselves for more increases in the price of petrol which, the AA warns, is likely to reach a new high.
More now from today's post cabinet news conference where the Prime Minister announced that a national memorial service to mark the Christchurch earthquake will be held in the city on Friday March the 18th.
A national memorial service marking the Christchurch earthquake is announced. It could take more than a year for all the victims to be identified and Rocky raises 60 thousand dollars for the relief fund.
Our Christchurch features producer, Kary Gosset has a story from one of the worst affected areas from the Feb 22 earthquake. Sumner has frequently been in the news with images of its crumbled cliffs, and Sumner is where Katy Gosset lives. This is her latest snapshot at where her suburb is at.
The Reserve Bank Governor says he has acted pre-emptively in cutting the official cash rate to guard against the risk that the economic impact of the Christchurch earthquake might become especially severe. Are we in for an oil shock or not?
The new Wellington Venues Limited CEO discusses her ideas for the events scene in the capital, plus the addition of a new Christchurch Artists exhibition in the St James Theatre, which will raise money for artists affected by the earthquake
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.
Almost 200 workers in Christchurch have lost their jobs with the closure of the Canterbury Spinners Plant - which the owners say was so badly damaged in last month's earthquake that it is beyond repair.
The Finance Minister says the Government will cover the ten billion dollar cost of the Christchurch earthquake by borrowing more rather than cutting spending or putting up taxes.
On the eve of the memorial service for the Christchurch earthquake, the Labour party is laying into the Government's handling of the city's ditching as a Rugby World Cup venue.
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.
More than a houndred people with businesses in Christchurch's CBD have stormed a cordon into the Red Zone, in frustration at still not being allowed access to their buildings - one month on from the earthquake.
News that a former military man, Major General Martyn Dunne, is expected to head the first stage of earthquake recovery in Christchurch has reignited debate about how that recovery should be managed.
Sixteen-year-old Sam Mackwell and his mates from St Thomas of Canterbury College have created a device that uses boiling water to charge cellphones, power a light and run a radio. They came up with the idea for the small generator after the first earthquake in Canterbury in September when electricity supplies were cut to much of the city. They call the device"The Lion"and hope to sell it in retail stores soon.
One Christchurch business has found just the right ingredients to rise again."The Naked Baker"gave away all of their cakes and buns and baked goods to the people of North Brighton after the earthquake on February 22nd. Co-owners Darren Carlaw and Andrew Snee started the bakery, coffee roastery and mobile food business 8 years ago. The cafe had to shut for more than 2 weeks to clean up all the damage . They didn't know what to expect when the business re-opened. What they discovered is that business is up by 30% thanks in part to their ability to bring their coffee and cakes to the many offices that have moved out of the center of town.
When the destructive February earthquake hit Christchurch, one of our reporters, Bridget Mills, was recording an interview at the very moment the earth started shaking.
Naval blockade: Greenpeace say its activists are willing to get arrested over their protest against a Brazilian oil company surveying off East Cape. Royal Commission: Legal experts are in agreement ... the purpose of the Royal Commission into February's earthquake in Christchurch is to investigate - not to incriminate.
Demand for temporary accommodation in Christchurch for earthquake evacuees is expected to be intense once the rebuild work kicks into action in coming months - despite a slow start.
Canterbury earthquake victims with the most damaged homes could have to wait more than two and half years for their houses to be fixed - but one owner says her problems are nothing compared to the misery of the Pike River mine disaster.
Last-minute claims for property damage caused by the Canterbury earthquake are flooding into the Earthquake Commission as the deadline looms. Homeowners have responded to an eleventh-hour hurry up, and the number of claims being lodged daily has almost quadrupled.
The Australian-owned, ANZ Bank, is betting small and medium sized firms will drive earnings next year, bolstered by the Rugby World Cup and rebuilding of the earthquake-hit Canterbury region.
A new report by the Greater Wellington Regional Council paints a grim picture if the capital was struck by a 7 point 1 earthquake, similar to that which hit Canterbury in September.
Deborah Nation dusts off a series of recordings made with successive generations of a Canterbury lineage whose family homestead was one of the casualties of the earthquake on 4 September 2010 .
The first report into the damage done to three large buildings in the Christchurch earthquake is recommending urgent steps be taken around the country to strengthen buildings with stairwells.
Royal Commission hearings into the Canterbury earthquakes started in Christchurch today, with a indication that questions will be raised about whether some of those trapped in collapsed buildings could have survived.
