Police have named two more people confirmed dead in last Tuesday's magnitude 6.3 earthquake.

A distraught wife has left her husband after telling him he did not pick her up quickly enough after the earthquake.

Christchurch can be rebuilt in a way that buildings would withstand very strong earthquakes in the future, Prime Minister John Key says.

Thousands of Christchurch's 350,000 inhabitants have left in droves, flying, driving, even walking away, with no plans to return any time soon.

Trapped in excruciating pain for hours while pinned under a concrete wall, Brian Coker wanted a "decent aftershock to finish it". Instead, the 52-year-old says his wife saved by alerting rescue teams to his plight.

New Zealand could make much greater use of satellite images, says Southland group.

Some Christchurch renters fleeing the shaken city are getting little charity from landlords, who are trying to keep them locked into contracts.

Commitment shown by business leaders to help Christchurch recover is a show of solidarity but also the right call economically, says BusinessNZ chief executive Phil O'Reilly.

John Key indicated last night that Earthquake Commission levies could triple because of the damage caused by the Christchurch earthquake.

As Rob Cope-Williams looks at search and rescue workers picking through the crumbled mess of the CTV building, tears silently roll down his face.