Christchurch council boss Tony Marryatt has taken leave over the building consents debacle as an urgent inquiry is launched to see if any buildings are dangerous.

Christchurch City Council had its building consents accreditation removed because it was granting consents that could potentially put people and property at risk, International Accreditation New Zealand says.

A Canterbury dairy farmer who was brutally murdered was dead before his body was set on fire, a court has heard.

Police have named the man who died in a collision between a four-wheel drive vehicle and a truck and trailer unit in south Canterbury at the weekend.

A man accused of murdering Canterbury dairy farmer sounded shocked when a friend told him the farmer had been found dead, saying, "Don't lie, man," a court has heard.

The final cordon around Christchurch's quake-damaged city centre was lifted today, bringing to an end the Defence Force's longest-ever domestic deployment.

Police have named the Culverden man killed in a freak hedge trimming accident in North Canterbury earlier today.

A dairy farmer was brutally murdered after an eight-month affair and the two men accused of the killing blame each other, a court heard today.

Canterbury schools and early childhood centres have been praised in a report for how they dealt with the Canterbury earthquakes.

The results of crunch talks over who pays for what in Christchurch city centre's post-earthquake blueprint projects will remain secret until next week.

Three south canterbury rugby players and a spectator have been sanctioned after an on-field scuffle turned into an "all-in brawl" involving more than 20 people on Saturday.

Christchurch City Council has been given a fortnight to speed up its consenting process, or power to grant consents will be taken away from it by the Government.

Ebos Group's $1.1 billion acquisition of Australian firm Symbion this week again highlighted an ongoing issue with getting independent research on NZX-listed companies.

A woman held at gunpoint in her rural Canterbury home had only recently moved in before the attack by three armed men.

Post-earthquake demand for free legal service at Community Law Canterbury has skyrocketed, making the legal centre the biggest of its kind in the country.

More Canterbury high school leavers are moving south to the University of Otago, with the fallout from the earthquakes continuing to play a part in where people choose to study.

A Canterbury astrophysicist will fly to Europe next week to be presented with the Einstein Medal from the Albert Einstein Society.