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.

It's obvious that mere amateurism will not help our second-largest city up on its feet this time.

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.

Bexley resident Jen O'Malley says Tuesday's devastating earthquake was the last straw and she can not imagine living in the area again.

Victim Support volunteers, many who have themselves lost homes, are working round the clock in Christchurch to provide support to a city which has "lost its heart" after Tuesday's devastating earthquake.

Christchurch City Council worker Joseph Tehau Pohio was trying to help someone else when he was hit by falling debris shortly after the magnitude 6.3 earthquake.

Buildings damaged in Tuesday's earthquake in Christchurch are being made more unstable by rain falling in the city today, police say.

Looting and scams in the aftermath of Tuesday's earthquake in Christchurch has sparked anger and warnings from police.

Food writer Leanne Kitchen has had an enviable career, including writing a new cookbook, which took her to delicious Turkish nooks and crannies.

Standard & Poor's Rating Services says the government is likely to be called on to fund claims from the Christchurch earthquake.

If increased levies are needed to replenish Earthquake Commission funds then the Government would consider it, Prime Minister John Key says.