A 4.8 earthquake has hit in the lower North Island tonight.

Nearly 900 people have registered feeling the quake which struck north of Pongaroa.

The supermarket chain allocated $100,000 to food rescue charities as well as giving one organisation a one off $25,000 donation.

Scientists describe November jolt as an "incredibly complex earthquake" in which some land was offset by as much as 12 metres.

The impact quakes can have on city structures has been made frighteningly clear over recent years.

After talking up the likelihood of tax relief this morning, Prime Minister Bill English has adopted a more cautious tone on tax cuts.

Quake-damaged pipes in Wellington are leaking around a million litres of water every day.

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake has caused moderate shaking in the Nelson region this evening. According to Geonet, the quake was centred

Four months on from the magnitude-7.8 earthquake, the road - the lifeline of the South Island - is a hive of activity.

A magnitude 5.7 quake in the Kermadec Islands was responsible for this morning's North Island recorded tremors, says seismologist.

The damage to Kaikoura's tourism industry from the November earthquake has been revealed in new stats released today.

Partner of November earthquake victim releases video of log cabin damage.

A 29 per cent chance of a big "surface rupturing" quake within next 50 years.

Houses dot an empty landscape, standing as reminders of a village that existed before the Japan earthquake.

The Auckland Volcanic Field will "almost certainly" erupt again, and a swarm of earthquakes will be the first signal of a catastrophe, say scientists.

The New Zealand Defence Force and Ministry of Defence must now find a new headquarters for hundreds of staff.

A moderate quake rocks parts of the North Island.

Thousands have reported feeling the two big quakes in Canterbury.

The 4.8 quake struck 20km southwest of Cheviot at 10.19am.

A new book explores the drama, the scientific puzzle and the human spirit of the people who live there.

The magnitude 4.7 quake is described as having a "strong" intensity, and hit 15km south-west of Te Araroa at 6.34am.

GNS said it could be a delayed aftershock from 1994.

These sisters will grow up wondering what their big brother would have been like.

Breeding colony of 2000 seals north of Kaikoura at risk as part of SH1 rebuild.

COMMENT: Yesterday our nation paused just before one o'clock to remember.

Justice Minister Amy Adams' passionate plea to Bruce Springsteen went unanswered - the closest she got to him was on the big screen.

Watch live: For the sixth anniversary of the February 2011 earthquake the new Canterbury Earthquake Memorial wall is being unveiled today.

Source: Twitter

It may be wondered whether a country of NZ's size and population is well served by such a fragmented civil defence organisation.

COMMENT: The November 14 Kaikoura earthquake and its widespread damage is a reminder that nature imposes a running cost on all our infrastructure.