Thousands of Christchurch's 350,000 inhabitants have left in droves, flying, driving, even walking away, with no plans to return any time soon.

Trapped in excruciating pain for hours while pinned under a concrete wall, Brian Coker wanted a "decent aftershock to finish it". Instead, the 52-year-old says his wife saved by alerting rescue teams to his plight.

New Zealand could make much greater use of satellite images, says Southland group.

Some Christchurch renters fleeing the shaken city are getting little charity from landlords, who are trying to keep them locked into contracts.

Commitment shown by business leaders to help Christchurch recover is a show of solidarity but also the right call economically, says BusinessNZ chief executive Phil O'Reilly.

Jayden Andrews-Howland, 14, was on a bus into town and has not been seen or heard of since last Tuesday's earthquake in Christchurch.

166 disaster victim identification (DVI) staff are working in shifts to formally identify victims of the 6.3-magnitude quake.

John Key indicated last night that Earthquake Commission levies could triple because of the damage caused by the Christchurch earthquake.

As Rob Cope-Williams looks at search and rescue workers picking through the crumbled mess of the CTV building, tears silently roll down his face.

The death toll has increased to 147, and with more than 50 people unaccounted for, it will be higher than 200, police said tonight.

John Key today launched the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal, a global fundraiser for the recovery effort in the city and the Canterbury region.

A leading structural engineer says our cities may have been "a little passive" about strengthening our buildings.