Struggling Allied Farmers says it has settled the about $27m sale of stage two of Queenstown's Five Mile property development early.

New home owners are finding themselves in limbo as insurers refuse to write any new policies for Christchurch's shaken homes.

At least 22 commercial properties and 50 homes in the small quake-damaged North Canterbury town of Kaiapoi have been deemed unsafe, with its mayor admitting the town is changed forever.

Most schools in the quake-devastated Canterbury region are not likely to open until Monday, the Education Minister says.

The final bill for the Christchurch earthquake may reach $4 billion, almost double initial estimates, Treasury Secretary John Whitehead said afternoon.

Mayor Bob Parker says Christchurch city is coping "amazingly well" with the continuing fall-out from Saturday morning's earthquake.

The Government has set aside $2.4 million for trauma counselling for Christchurch earthquake victims, Paula Bennett says.

The state of emergency in Christchurch has been extended a further seven days following an aftershock of 5.1 on the Richter scale this morning.

An open source online map has been set up to help Cantabrians find help nearest to them.

Stricken homeowners and workers will start receiving compensation and emergency payouts within days as Christchurch's earthquake bill threatens to exceed $2bn.

A real estate agent who tampered with a sale and purchase agreement to increase her stake in a commission split has been fined.

There have been more than 1000 submissions against plans to build houses on an unspoilt Coromandel beach.

The number of new listings fell for the fifth straight month last month, fuelling talk of a looming property shortage in our biggest city.

A heavily tagged, unoccupied house in west Auckland has infuriated neighbours and exposed loopholes in council rules.

This $8.8m property in Auckland's Castor Bay is one of the houses being marketed at a six-day showcase in Shanghai.