Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch Earthquake aftermath. People collecting bedding to stay over at the refuge centre at Twiggers Restaurant at Addington Raceway".
Thousands of people are being evacuated from the Christchurch city centre with Civil Defence officials saying its simply too dangerous for residents to stay there.
Many small businesses in Canterbury are struggling to stay afloat after the earthquake and an insurance and risk management consultant, John Sloan, says one problem is the long wait to get insurance money.
Damage to the St John the Baptist church hall in Latimer Square, seen behind the cordon fence. On the ground next to some building rubble is a sign that says 'Danger!!! Wall unstable. Stay clear'.
Damage to the St John the Baptist church hall in Latimer Square, seen behind the cordon fence. On the ground next to some building rubble is a sign that says 'Danger!!! Wall unstable. Stay clear'.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Tamatea Briggs (12) is staying in a tent with his family on a neighbours lawn too scared to go back into their house".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Saudi Students staying at Donegal Irish House after fleeing the Canterbury earthquake zone. From left Abdullah Al-Harbi, Muhanad Al-Khateb, Youssef Adshwaish and Mofarh Al-Hrooby".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Tamatea Briggs (12) is staying in a tent with his family on a neighbours lawn too scared to go back into their house".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Tamatea Briggs (12) is staying in a tent with his family on a neighbours lawn too scared to go back into their house".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Havana and Jack Umaga and their children Elisah (6), and 7 month-old Laurah who will be staying at Fiona Newey's home as part of the Quake Breaks".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Kerrigan family were in Christchurch over the weekend staying on the 19th floor in a hotel when the earthquake struck. L-R Lara (13), mum Leanne and Gemma (14) Kerrigan".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Kerrigan family were in Christchurch over the weekend staying on the 19th floor in a hotel when the earthquake struck. L-R Lara (13), mum Leanne and Gemma (14) Kerrigan".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Kerrigan family were in Christchurch over the weekend staying on the 19th floor in a hotel when the earthquake struck. L-R Lara (13), mum Leanne and Gemma (14) Kerrigan".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "The Kerrigan family were in Christchurch over the weekend staying on the 19th floor in a hotel when the earthquake struck. L-R Lara (13), mum Leanne and Gemma (14) Kerrigan".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "From left, John and Carol Crouch and Sharon and Chris Moran. All four were staying at the Copthorne Hotel in Christchurch when the earthquake hit. The Crouches helped save Mr Moran, who is tetraplegic".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Maling Street in Avonside. Charlie Tarawa is staying in a tent with his family on a neighbours lawn as they are too scared to go back into their house".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Maling Street in Avonside. Charlie Tarawa is staying in a tent with his family on a neighbours lawn as they are too scared to go back into their house".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch, Sydenham Christmas shop. 'Christmas Jones' is among the September 4 M7.1 earthquake-hit block of shops. Owner Mike Jones pictured with his partner Megan Simpson (L) says business is slow, but he is staying open".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch, Sydenham Christmas shop. 'Christmas Jones' is among the September 4 M7.1 earthquake-hit block of shops. Owner Mike Jones pictured with his partner Megan Simpson (L) says business is slow, but he is staying open".
Canterbury schools to stay closed until Monday, Earthquake family tries to comfort traumatised children, Christchurch welfare centres start filling up, Independent Australian MPs back Labor, Universities raise fees to maximum, MPs in Parliament pay tribute to people of Canterbury, Prime Minister speaks from Christchurch, and Julia Gillard speaks about the newly formed government.
The Queen tells Prince Philip that she has received a 'Dear John' letter from PM John Key and that it 'seems the earth has moved for him back in NZ'. Text above reads 'Keynote'. In a second version the queen says that John Key 'preferred to stay at home 'cos the earth moved'. A third version refers to the decision of the PM to remain in New Zealand because of the Christchurch earthquake instead of going on a trip to Europe with his wife during which they were to have stayed at the invitation of the Queen at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Quantity: 3 digital cartoon(s).
The clock face on the left is showing the correct time. The clock face on the right stopped at the moment of the big earthquake in CHCH on Sept 4th at 4.25am. It stayed like that for a week until fixed. Interestingly that face has not shown the correct time since.
Homeless earthquake victims arrive in Hobbiton with their bags when it seems that New Zealand is going to lose The Hobbit to another country. Refers to the dispute between Warner Brothers, represented by Peter Jackson, and NZ Actors Equity over a union demand for negotiations over the terms and conditions offered in the contracts for actors and others working on the film very nearly caused the film to be made somewhere else. The battle, which was eventually resolved successfully after meetings between PM John Key and Warner Brothers representatives, divided New Zealanders. Refers also to the Canterbury earthquake of 4th September and its aftershocks that have left many houses uninhabitable. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
It is the middle of the night and a man wearing his dressing-gown runs out of his house towards a portaloo clutching a toilet roll and saying 'Try me'. The neighbourhood is wrecked by earthquakes. On the ground is a newspaper with a headline that reads 'New Delhi athletes substandard accomodation facilities'. A second newspaper reads 'Given the choice many prefer to stay home'. Context: The first Christchurch earthquake shook the city on early morning of the 4th September 2010. The destruction of sewage infrastructure has meant portaloos and long-drops have become de rigeur as a consequence. There was a desperate rush to get the village ready for the influx of athletes before the opening of the Commonwealth Games on 3rd October 2010 and there was a fear that unsatisfactory sanitation systems might cause health and safety problems. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).