• Aftershocks continue to shake the North Canterbury region, including magnitude 5.4 and 5.8 quakes tonight.
• Wellington highways are reopening after a morning of slips and flooding that brought the quake-hit region to a standstill. State Highway 1 has opened.
• Power is back on in the Awatere Valley and most of Seddon. But a few isolated properties in Seddon are still without power, as well as all of Tachalls Road, and parts of Blenheim and Renwick.
• The New Zealand Defence Force helicopters airlifted 103 people from Kaikoura today as more than 860 aftershocks hit the region. SH7 may remain closed until the weekend.
• Parliament sat at 2pm and PM John Key opened the day's business with a statement on the impact of the earthquake and the government's plans to repair the widespread damage it caused.
• 600 people stayed at a marae in Kaikoura last night. HMNZS Canterbury is on its way from Auckland to also help evacuate 1100 stranded tourists. It is expected to start this job first light tomorrow.
• Kaikoura is severely damaged with problems around communications, roads, water and sewage. Last night the Marlborough District Council said there was three days' water left.