Amid the tragedy and debris it feels harsh to talk about economics and daunting to talk about getting Christchurch back to business.

The woman who rang her son to say goodbye as she lay trapped in the PGC building for 24 hours has spoken about her ordeal.

Christchurch lived in its heritage - grand stone buildings, many of them now shattered by the largest ground shake recorded in NZ.

Central Christchurch is facing financial oblivion, a local business leader says.

'I was having a hot dog in the Square, felt the rumble, looked around, and the cathedral just come down.'

As Emma Woods dashed to her son's school in central Christchurch, she was terrified at the thought of losing a second child in nine months.

The doctors who amputated a man's legs to save him from almost certain death worked in the dark.

Looking at what remains of the six-storey building I can't believe my eyes as the first survivor is pulled out.

Overwhelming offers of help for Christchurch are impeding the systems of non-government organisations trying to help there, says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

After being rescued from the collapsed PGC building, Emma Howard and Christopher Greenslade wed at the Christ The King Catholic Church in Burnside.

A Christchurch man whose house was condemned after Tuesday's earthquake says it's fortunate no one was home at the time.

An Australian army field hospital is set to be turned into a community health centre as authorities work to prevent a medical crisis in Christchurch.

Misery in the form of illness struck earthquake-ravaged Christchurch this afternoon, with the closure of one of the three welfare centres in the city.

The level of liquefaction after Tuesday's 6.3 magnitude aftershock dwarfs the amount caused by the original earthquake that hit Christchurch in September, Mayor Bob Parker says.

A young bride-to-be who narrowly escaped tragedy in the PGC building in Tuesday's deadly earthquake has tied the knot today.

His pained, bloodied and dirt-streaked face has become one of the defining human images of the Christchurch quake and has been published in media across the globe.

Search and rescue workers have begun work in preparation for removing bodies from under piles of rubble at the Christchurch Cathedral.