In her last moments in the CTV building receptionist Dian Falconer prayed. Knowing that made her loss a little easier to bear, daughter Tere-moana Wilson said.

Emotion is fine but cool heads are needed for Christchurch's rebuilding, writes Chris Rattue.

Trapped in excruciating pain for hours while pinned under a concrete wall, Brian Coker wanted a "decent aftershock to finish it". Instead, the 52-year-old says his wife saved by alerting rescue teams to his plight.

New Zealand could make much greater use of satellite images, says Southland group.

John Key indicated last night that Earthquake Commission levies could triple because of the damage caused by the Christchurch earthquake.

Some Christchurch renters fleeing the shaken city are getting little charity from landlords, who are trying to keep them locked into contracts.

A leading structural engineer says our cities may have been "a little passive" about strengthening our buildings.

Prime Minister John Key has asked all New Zealanders to observe two minutes' silence from 12.51pm on Tuesday.