A labour of love is taking shape as the employees of Christchurch earthquake victim Owen Wright craft his coffin from the timbers he loved to turn.

Bellringer John Dunn watched news footage of the earthquake-damaged ChristChurch Cathedral with an overwhelming sense of sadness.

The Govt is not ruling out changes to Working for Families or student loans as it considers how to foot the bill for Christchurch's recovery.

New Zealanders have paid tribute to the victims of the Christchurch earthquake with two minutes' silence marking the moment the disaster struck last week.

Last week's 6.3 magnitude earthquake unearthed a time capsule under the toppled statue of one of Canterbury's founding fathers, Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said today.

The death toll from the Christchurch earthquake is likely to be about 240, police say.

Dean Dunbar lost a teenage son in Pike River mine. Now, after seeing two homes wrecked in the Christchurch earthquakes, he is not taking any chances with his daughter.

Nothing was going to stop Geoff Hadfield going in to get his wife Natasha as her body lay trapped alongside a dead customer in their earthquake-devastated shop.

Teams from across globe touched by city's loss toil side by side amidst rubble.

Christchurch hoteliers are waiting to assess the damage to tourist accommodation with about 3000 rooms behind the CBD cordon.

A year from now, Christchurch will still be rattled by a magnitude-four aftershock at least once a month, according to a scientist.

Christchurch's small CBD traders will be forced out to fringe areas like Riccarton, Addington and Sydenham, says one property expert.

Strong winds that were set to hit Christchurch this afternoon did not eventuate, but residents are warned that they should secure loose roofs and beware of the threat of falling masonry.

The devastating 6.3 magnitude Christchurch quake that struck yesterday afternoon has left dozens of people dead, and many more unaccounted for.

As the Government commits itself to rebuilding earthquake-ravaged Christchurch, it is looking at costs running into tens of billions with an economic impact that will last for years.

Prime Minister John Key today announced those put out of work by last week's deadly earthquake will be eligible for subsidies of $400 per week.

Police have evacuated 200 properties in the exclusive Christchurch suburbs of Redcliff and Clifton Hills after cracks appeared in cliffs above the houses.