Four Canterbury All Blacks, including captain Richie McCaw, have been enlisted for a campaign to help quake victims.

Water restrictions have been lifted for Christchurch and Banks Peninsula but some Waimakariri residents must still boil their water and their river is contaminated.

When the tremors return, residents at one Christchurch rest home band together with cups of tea and company.

At least 22 commercial properties and 50 homes in the small quake-damaged North Canterbury town of Kaiapoi have been deemed unsafe, with its mayor admitting the town is changed forever.

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.

A golden retriever puppy needed emergency surgery after cutting off the side of his nose running away in panic when the quake hit.

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.

Mayor Bob Parker is unsure about the comparison with former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, but the earthquake that struck Christchurch could help him keep his job.

"It's essentially a ghost town. You can see utter devastation," said Prime Minister John Key.

"It was like a giant had picked up our house and was just shaking it, shaking and shaking," said one resident.

Services and infrastructure in Christchurch have been seriously affected by this morning's quake. Here is the current situation.

Cities throughout New Zealand will be voting for new leaders as Auckland ushers in the Super City in October. Jarrod Booker examines two very different candidates running for Christchurch mayor.

A Christchurch city councillor won't stand at the next election after a ratepayer-funded US trip to study sandcastles.

A city councillor is keeping her head below the parapet after taking a $4000 ratepayer funded trip to California to study sandcastles.