• A number of multi-story buildings have received damage - both internally and structurally
• Glass from buildings has fallen into a number of central-city streets
• Hundreds of CBD residents have self-evacuated and are in safe areas of the city
• Power is off in isolated areas of the Wellington region.
People who usually work in central Wellington are strongly urged to stay home today owing to potential damage to buildings and disruptions to public transport, Wellington City Council says.
Wellington Regional Civil Defence Controller Bruce Pepperell says early indications are that a number of major buildings are showing "signs of structural stress" and that the strong quake will likely have caused a mess and disruption inside some buildings - particularly on higher floors.
Wellington's suburban rail network will not be operating until further notice while rail tracks, bridges and tunnels are checked. Bus services are also not expected to be able to compensate for the train cancellations.
The Fire Service says TSB Arena and BNZ Centre on Wellington's waterfront have sustained most damage