Seaweed cuisine is enjoying a wave of popularity worldwide.

Jeff Pelesa Sanft, 32, was travelling on a bus in Christchurch's city centre when the earthquake struck.

Jovy Servitillo knew she was in trouble - she was on the 23rd floor of the tallest building in Christchurch.

'Ten seconds either way' was the difference between life and death for CTV building survivor David Horsley.

Hope is fading for hundreds of people missing for a second night after the Christchurch earthquake.

Dozens are missing or confirmed dead in an earthquake that could have claimed as many as 300. Here are some of the stories of the victims.

Prime Minister John Key yesterday saw for himself the grim situation confronting earthquake survivors.

Yesterday's quake - the death toll for which stands at 75 - may prove to be NZ's worst natural disaster.

Police say more than 100 people may have been lost in Christchurch's quake-ravaged Canterbury TV building, which they say is "unsurvivable". The official toll from yesterday's devastating quake stands at 75.

Massive earthquake damage in Christchurch means Kirifi Mila, the New Zealand soldier killed in Afghanistan last week, will be buried in Hamilton without a formal military farewell from his army mates.

Fifteen CTV staff are believed to have died when their central Christchurch building collapsed after yesterday's magnitude 6.3 quake, CTV chairman Nick Smith says.

At least 14 people are missing from two companies in the Pyne Gould building in Christchurch tonight.

A woman trapped in rubble left a harrowing message for her son, in which she said she didn't think she would survive.

Declaring a national state of emergency is an option when a disaster or other event is or is likely to be of such severity that it is beyond the resources of the local Civil Defence groups.

There are genuine fears that the Crusaders will have to find a new home for the remainder of Super Rugby season.

In an emotional reunion, a woman trapped for more than 25 hours in a cramped, dark space in the destroyed PGG building has finally been rescued and reunited with her worried husband.

Fletcher Construction says its residential repair programme in Canterbury as agent for the Earthquake Commission (EQC) is temporarily on hold.

A man who has more than a dozen close friends and colleagues missing in earthquake-devastated central Christchurch says all he can do is wait and hope they are still alive.

Much of Christchurch is without essential services after yesterday's earthquake with gas, power, water and phone infrastructure all affected.