New Zealand and Japan have vowed to increase cooperation on earthquake engineering and disaster recovery following the devastating quakes which struck both nations.

A 3.4 magnitude earthquake has struck the Coromandel Peninsula this morning.

A lawyer is before the legal profession's disciplinary body for allegedly settling a client's claim without his permission.

Christchurch was shaken awake by a magnitude 3.5 earthquake this morning.

Post-earthquake demand for free legal service at Community Law Canterbury has skyrocketed, making the legal centre the biggest of its kind in the country.

The quake occurred at 5.19am local time (4.19am NZT), 287km southwest of Nuku'alofa, at a depth of 171km.

A powerful earthquake struck the steep hills of China's southwestern Sichuan province, leaving over 150 people dead and more than 5,500 injured.

A Kiwi living in Sichuan has described watching a 15-storey hotel sway wildly and naked people run on to the street as a powerful earthquake struck the Chinese province.

A major earthquake has flattened homes and offices on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border, rattling buildings as far away as New Delhi and Dubai and killing dozens of people, including 34 in one Pakistani town.

With the rebuilding of Christchurch gaining momentum, some engineering and construction firms are looking overseas for people with the skills they need.

The psychological impact of the Canterbury earthquake has been accepted by the Employment Court as a valid reason for a lawyer filing legal documents several weeks late.

Civil Defence officials say there could be up to 10,000 casualties when the Alpine Fault ruptures sometime in the next 50 years - and 1000 could be fatal.