A project manager for a company doing home repairs in the Christchurch earthquake rebuild says it is highly likely as many as 60-thousand people have been exposed to potentially lethal asbestos fibres.
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.
A photograph of a member of the Diabetes Centre team standing in the entrance way to the Diabetes Centre. In the background, a carpenter is working on building repairs.
Further damage to the bank following the two quakes on 23/12/11. The sewer line broke here and was repaired (patched) by council staff on Christmas Eve. It is hard to beleve that this rock wall was level with the land here, before any of the quakes.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Aerial shot of the fault line that ruptured, causing Saturday's 7.1 earthquake. The fault line ripped across a road which has been repaired".
The Property Council says an ultimatum from the Christchurch City Council to owners of earthquake damaged commercial buildings will add to the stress business people are already under.
A photograph captioned, "After the September earthquake, it was more a simple case of something gets broken and it gets repaired. Then came February, and June as well, and suddenly it's just not so straightforward anymore".
Shell shocked residents still picking up the pieces in one of the worst earthquake affected parts of Canterbury, say a looming rates rise to pay for repairs will cripple them.
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. Earthquake claims specialist Lisa Taylor from the law firm Anthony Harper joins us.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Holy Trinity Church on Winchester Street in Lyttelton. The crack in the interior wall of the church by stained glass window will cost at least one million to repair".
The old Christchurch Railway Station Clock Tower was damaged during the 7.1 magnitude quake on 4 September 2010 and was braced by the wooden sleeve until repaired. However, although the sleeve did its job during the 6.3 magnitude quake on 22 February 2011, the lower part of the tower started to break away.
A photograph of a room in the Diabetes Centre which has been prepared for repairs. The furniture has been stacked one side of the room and plastic sheeting has been used to cover the carpet.
Residents in the Marlborough town of Seddon say they are relieved their post-quake rebuild hasn't been hit by the same delays as Canterbury. Eight months on from the Cook Strait earthquakes, repairs and remedial works are continuing apace in Marlborough.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Furniture maker Bertram Rush and his building survived the earthquake. He's still open, hearing from people with damaged cabinets, and has been busy helping a customer to repair his home".
A digitally manipulated image of liquefaction around a house in Avondale. The photographer comments, "The bottom of the gates were swallowed up by liquefaction, but the house still looked in good condition, which was confirmed by builders just going in to work on the property. It is in the Christchurch red zone, which after testing has been deemed unsuitable for houses to be built on. All the land will be bought by the Government and they would also buy any properties that could be repaired. The remaining insured property owners will get a payment from the insurance company. All the buildings are condemned to be knocked down".
A photograph of a room in the Diabetes Centre which has been prepared for repairs. The moveable stacks and counter have been covered in plastic sheeting and a tarpaulin has been draped over the carpet.
It's seven years today since Christchurch was rocked by the magnitude 6.3 earthquake. It killed 185 people, injured thousands more and led to whole suburbs and most of the central city being demolished. Seven years on, the rebuild is still underway and some residents are still struggling to get the repairs they want.
A photograph of an office in the Diabetes Centre which has been prepared for earthquake repair work. Furniture and other office materials have been stacked in the corner of the room. Several tiles are missing from the ceiling above.
A video of excavators demolishing the former railway station on Moorhouse Avenue. The building was only moderately damaged during the 22 February 2011 earthquake, but repair work was deemed too costly for the co-owner, Science Alive!.
Many Christchurch trades people are refusing to carry out quake repairs unless the homeowner agrees to pay the bill, saying it takes too long to get the money out of the Earthquake Commission. Some contractors say they still haven't been paid for jobs done after the quake in September and the amount of debt some businesses are carrying are putting them in jeopardy.
Repairs in progress on this High Street shop; aftermath of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Christchurch on Saturday 4 September 2010.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Engineers from ECAN and other areas in New Zealand have been inspecting the Waimakariri River stop banks on the coast side of State Highway 1 after the September earthquake. Earthquake damage repair work on the stop bank".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "St John's Church in Hororata is up for an expensive repair bill after it was badly damaged in the September 4 earthquake. Workers check out the damaged tower by crane as they decide where to start saving the church".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "St John's Church in Hororata is up for an expensive repair bill after it was badly damaged in the September 4 earthquake. Workers check out the damaged tower by crane as they decide where to start saving the church".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Damage to St. Mary's Anglican Church Timaru resulting from 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake centred near Darfield. Damage can be seen to the spires on the church tower. The spire-tops were removed for safety and to be repaired".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "St John's Church in Hororata is up for an expensive repair bill after it was badly damaged in the September 4 earthquake. Workers check out the damaged tower by crane as they decide where to start saving the church".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "St John's Church in Hororata is up for an expensive repair bill after it was badly damaged in the September 4 earthquake. Workers check out the damaged tower by crane as they decide where to start saving the church".
A photograph of the stairwell of the Diabetes Centre on Hagley Avenue. There is a workbench in the foreground and a plank of wood on the right side of the stairs. On the landing the wall has been repaired and is unpainted.
Red stickered building means no access, and the building may be condemned if it cannot be repaired; aftermath of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that hit Christchurch on 4 September 2010.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch Earthquake. Shops on the corner of Cranford Street and Westminster Street were torn down this afternoon as they had been deemed too dangerous after Saturday's earthquake in Christchurch. Lindsay Troo owner of Altron TV repair shop talks about his loss".