Wellington's wild wind has put the brakes on the demolition of a severely earthquake-damaged office building in the central city.

A 5.1 earthquake struck near the North Island town of Wairoa last night.

COMMENT: Earthquakes make New Zealand great. We would not have a country without them.

A Rangiaroa boy left shaken by the recent eartquakes will have the best seat in the house for today's Farmers Santa Parade through Auckland city.

Final demolition work is set to begin today on an earthquake damaged Wellington office block.

COMMENT: The shaking may have shattered homes, dreams and livelihoods, but the spirit of the people remains unbroken.

Nearly all routes in and out of Kaikoura are closed today as high winds across the South Island mean small planes and helicopters are grounded, Civil Defence says.

A moderate earthquake has rattled the top of the South Island, 25km south east of Seddon.

A large demolition show expected to take place in Wellington central this morning, has been delayed.

The Government's being urged to extend its earthquake support, to also help the thousands of Wellingtonians out of work.

The owners of Lower Hutt's Queensgate Mall have been ordered to urgently demolish an entire building in the complex.

GeoNet director shares his tips on dealing with stress two weeks after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake.

A police officer and pig have become unlikely friends.

Kaikoura people are told to enjoy the little things to cope with last Monday's 7.8 quake.

Kaikoura residents and visitors will be able to dash for freedom this afternoon as Inland Rd opens for a short time.

The landmark election of Donald Trump has both exposed and heightened the divisions on the political left.

There's no word whether premiums will rise as a result.

Event Cinemas and part of the Queensgate Shopping Centre carpark in Wellington is a public safety risk following the earthquake.

Last week's earthquake is likely to put considerable extra pressure on the nation's already stretched construction sector, says ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley.

The demolition of three buildings in Wellington will be brought forward in light of last week's 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Two of

TOBY MANHIRE COMMENT: John Key squeezed a lot into a few short days in Lima over the weekend.

Adele tickets sell out quickly... while more after-shocks rock NZ.

Canterbury Civil Defence hopes to reopen one lane of the Inland Rd into Kaikoura tomorrow afternoon.

Civil Defence said "contrary to some reports there is no 'imminent threat' to the West Coast from earthquakes".

The good and bad effects of last week's huge quake are continuing to be felt by West Coast transport companies, grocery stores and accommodation providers.

At spots where the boulders still teeter above, the convoy spreads out a little. Better to have one or two trucks wiped out than several, it's explained to me ... The brutal logic makes sense.

Most of the country's political reporters are being evacuated from their building at Parliament due to damage caused by this month's 7.8 earthquakes.

Part-time workers, casuals and temps in Wellington are unable to get to their jobs, and have no safety net.

Scientists say it's not beyond the realms of possibility that New Zealand could have a sophisticated earthquake early warning (EEW) system - alerting people seconds before a big disaster hits.

First it was captain fantastic Richie McCaw and now more Kiwi sporting royalty are heading to Kaikoura.