The bill for the Christchurch recovery has been estimated at $30 billion and much has already been spent fixing damaged homes.
The need was so great after the devastating earthquake on February 22, 2011, that the response had to be quick but millions of dollars in donations is yet to be distributed.
One year on, the Red Cross Earthquake Appeal has raised $115 million, $14 million of it from overseas donors.
-
View Photos
-
Related
To date, $67 million has been distributed for needs like food, medicine and building supplies. The remainder will be allocated by the end of the year.
In Lyttelton, Marcia Mackrell did not have insurance and says she would not have managed over winter without a grant from the Red Cross.
"With doors not shutting properly it was freezing here, and I had to use the heatpump a lot more than I thought I would have to. So that fuel grant was marvellous," she said.
Three other major fund raising appeals still have money to give away. The Salvation Army received $18 million in donations and just under $8 million has been distributed so far. More than $100 million was donated to the Government-initiated Canterbury Earthquake Appeal, $25 million of which has been spent on roading and other services.
And Mayor Bob Parker says they are about half through distributing the $7 million in the Mayoral Fund.
"It's really for building and structures and things that bring community good to community groups," Parker said.
Meanwhile $3 billion has been spent on repairing and rebuilding earthquake-damaged homes.
Reid Stiven of the Earthquake Commission says it will have the funds for the job.
"We expect the total of the earthquakes in Canterbury will cost around $11 billion. Our funds plus reinsurance money will pay for that."
Fletchers says around 80 houses a day are being completed.
To date 10,000 repaired homes have been returned to their owners and 16,000 earthquake-damaged houses are currently under repair. The total cost is $350 million but about 74,000 homes are yet to be repaired.
