A "little swarm" of four small earthquakes near Taupo yesterday was not unusual or concerning, a seismologist says.

Demolition work proceeds on the Manchester Courts building, one of the earthquake damaged buildings on the corner of Manchester and Hereford Streets in Christchurch.

The EQC has paid out over $145m to residents affected by the Canterbury quake two months ago, but only a small proportion of the claims have been assessed.

Photos from Christchurch's Hagley Park, where artists performed a free concert as a gift to the people of Christchurch following the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in September.

A star-studded line-up of Kiwi musicians will perform tomorrow in earthquake-hit Christchurch.