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The Earthquake Commission is to open an office in Gisborne following last Thursday's destructive earthquake.
About 40 staff will be on hand from January 14 to deal with insurance claims and inquiries and people have until April to make a claim.
The commission has so far received more than 1000 claims since the earthquake measuring 6.8 in magnitude struck the region.
Buildings in the city were left partially collapsed, roofs caved in, water tanks and winery vats burst and gaping holes appeared in roadways.
It was centred 50km offshore southeast of Gisborne at a depth of 40km. It has been followed by several aftershocks.
The EQC said assessors could be in the region for up to six months and estimated property damage so far as up to $30 million, Radio New Zealand reported yesterday.
Twenty-three central city buildings have been classified as dangerous, and demolition was likely.
A state of emergency in Gisborne imposed after the earthquake was lifted late on Saturday afternoon.
Figures released by the EQC on Monday showed there had now been 1117 claims received in the aftermath of the quake.
Of these 987 were from Gisborne, 27 from Wairoa and 103 from other areas.
The total estimated cost of the claims received so far was $6,042,206.
Sixteen people were injured and the council confirmed one elderly woman died of a suspected heart attack around the time the quake struck.
- NZPA
