At least three aftershocks have hit Christchurch in quick succession this evening, the latest a magnitude 4 quake centred within 5km of Christchurch at a depth of 9km.

Things are looking up for thousands of householders in areas worst hit by the Canterbury earthquake.

The Government hopes it will be able to give thousands of Canterbury property owners in the worst earthquake-hit areas some idea of what the future holds by the middle of next week.

Dozens of angry residents have rallied in one of Christchurch's worst earthquake-hit areas over the "third world" conditions they are still living.

Earthquake co-ordination minister Gerry Brownlee says there are few signs of widespread permanent damage to housing land in Christchurch.

The number of aftershocks following the big 7.1 magnitude Canterbury earthquake has reached 700.

Heartless thieves have struck a young Christchurch couple and their family.

A Facebook group has started to capture people's experiences of the Christchurch earthquake and the rebuild.

Builders from around the country see a goldmine of work awaiting them in quake-torn Christchurch.