The mayor of Christchurch says developers built on land that could turn into 'murky soup' after an earthquake, despite opposition from the council.

Global re-insurance companies will probably take the bulk of losses for claims from the Christchurch earthquake not covered by EQC, says Moody's.

New home owners are finding themselves in limbo as insurers refuse to write any new policies for Christchurch's shaken homes.

Researchers explain why Canterbury escaped with no loss of life and little damage compared with the devastation in Haiti.

Most schools in the quake-devastated Canterbury region are not likely to open until Monday, the Education Minister says.

The final bill for the Christchurch earthquake may reach $4 billion, almost double initial estimates, Treasury Secretary John Whitehead said afternoon.

Aftershocks are continuing to hit Canterbury with one measuring 4.1 the latest in a series today that also included a 5.1.

Mayor Bob Parker says Christchurch city is coping "amazingly well" with the continuing fall-out from Saturday morning's earthquake.

The Government has set aside $2.4 million for trauma counselling for Christchurch earthquake victims, Paula Bennett says.

The state of emergency in Christchurch has been extended a further seven days following an aftershock of 5.1 on the Richter scale this morning.

Re-building Canterbury after the earthquake will happen, but it may happen quickly, says Fletcher Building chief executive Jonathan Ling.

An open source online map has been set up to help Cantabrians find help nearest to them.

Stricken homeowners and workers will start receiving compensation and emergency payouts within days as Christchurch's earthquake bill threatens to exceed $2bn.

Rebuilding up to 100,000 damaged and destroyed homes in quake-hit Canterbury could take years, a building executive says.

The economic impact of the earthquake will be sharply negative in the near term but probably positive for GDP over a longer period, economists say.

The Christchurch earthquake is expected to provide a much-needed lifeline for NZ's beleaguered construction sector.

Aucklanders are being lauded for staying off the roads during a mammoth traffic management operation.

Aucklanders stayed off the roads last night as authorities shut the busiest stretch of motorway in the country.

Organisers of the country's largest motorway closure are praying they have scared enough Aucklanders off the roads this weekend to avoid the city grinding to a halt.