Hundreds of home checks have been carried out in the worst-hit areas by Red Cross personnel since Monday's 7.8 quake.

One of the car park buildings at Lower Hutt's Queensgate shopping centre has been found to have suffered structural damage in Monday's 7.8 magnitude quake.

Peter Dunne has echoed calls from the public to strip Destiny Church of its tax-exempt status.

It's critical shellfish and rock lobsters in Kaikoura's new intertidal zone are protected, MPI says.

COMMENT: It's time New Zealand dropped its famed "number eight wire" mentality and "she'll be right" attitude.

The US Admiral who ordered the USS Sampson to divert to the earthquake disaster zone has a long history with New Zealand.

Sitting in the darkness of his mountain home, aftershocks rumbling through and his partner's body in his arms, Gary Morton had never felt so alone.

The young baby of Kylee Guy and her new partner would almost certainly have been crushed to death in Monday's earthquake if not for the quick actions of his father.

Thousands of workers and residents of Wellington's CBD have been displaced, as engineers continue to detect damage incurred to buildings.

COMMENT: I'm heartened by outpourings of aroha and kindness in a time of need.

COMMENT: I was in the basement vault last night counting my money when I heard a deep rumbling in Earth. "Hannah," I called out, "it's those gays again!"

A 27 truck military convoy battled poor weather and the threat of more landslides to deliver 8860 litres of fuel and 10,000 litres of water to Kaikoura today.

Four people, including two children, from Waiau, North Canterbury have contracted norovirus in the last two days, Canterbury DHB says. The

They've received so many food and water parcels, Ivan says he can't take a shower because it's filled with bottles.

They're relocating paua by the tonne. About 40 tonnes were expected to have been cut free from the rocks along the Kaikoura coastline by this afternoon.

A huge landslide has filled a valley in the ranges of quake-stricken Kaikoura.

Police have arrested three local men in relation to the looting of a freight train stranded north of Kaikoura after Monday's powerful

This could be the perfect postcard of rural New Zealand ... but this rural idyll has become the Ground Zero of Monday's mammoth magnitude-7.8 earthquake.

Water flooded 140m inland south of Kaikoura, damaging one home at Little Pigeon Bay.

From today, people can get behind Red Cross' work to support communities affected by Monday's devastating earthquake by donating at

Political Roundup: After the recovery phrase of an earthquake, the rebuild involves incredibly political and ideological decisions that need to be made.

Even after the quakes, eruptions and tsunami scares of the past decade, NZ still has lessons to learn about preparedness, writes Jamie Morton.

As Kaikoura reels from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, Murchison is buzzing.

A 27 truck military convoy battled poor weather and the threat of more landslides to deliver 8860ltrs of fuel and 10,000ltrs of water to Kaikoura today.

Donations to Rainbow Youth are being made in the Destiny Church leader's name after his comment that gays caused Monday's quake.

Wellington's Reading Carpark will likely be demolished.

A Kaikoura motel owner said he had to kick two tourists out for overstaying their welcome and exacerbating the stressful situation, following Monday's quake.

The Army aid convoy foiled in its attempt to reach cut-off Kaikoura by the Inland Road yesterday is making another go today.

Red Cross member Kath Cosgrove said Kaikpura locals are starting to break under the stress following Monday's 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

The PwC Centre project on Wellington's waterfront came through this week's 7.8 magnitude earthquake unscathed.