11.40am: Expert teams are working out of Christchurch Hospital and the Burnham Military Camp to identify quake victims. Chief Coroner Neil MacLean says in many cases visual identification isn't possible. Fingerprinting, DNA and dental records are being employed. Judge MacLean says there's no set time frame for completing the dreadful task.
11.30am: Orion is working on restoring power to Redcliffs, Sumner and Mt Pleasant today as part of its goal of getting 95% of the city back on the grid over the next week. More than 500 people are working on reconnecting power throughout the city.
11.19am: The Earthquake Commission is urging Cantabrians to get in touch if they have damaged homes or property. CEO Ian Simpson says they have enough money to cover all the destruction.
11.15am: Efforts are being made to get a bus service operating around the city cordon in Christchurch.
11.10am: British rescue teams are still working on the Pyne Gould building which is still moving. Fire Service USAR head Russell Wood says the stair block tower is on quite a lean.
11.05am: Parker says 55,000 properties remain without water, 65% of the city has been reconnected. Residents must continue to treat the water as potentially contaminated and always boil it. 85% of the city now has power.
10.55am: A house fire in Christchurch has been blamed on stress-related smoking.
10.51am: The Red Cross says about $5.2 million has already been donated to its quake fund.
10.45am: A sizeable jolt has shaken Christchurch just as Civil Defence controller John Hamilton was delivering his latest briefing.
10.42am: Usar teams refreshed.
10.39am: The death toll is 148 confirmed deaths. Two more of the deceased named: Natasha Sarah Hadfield, 38, from Kaiapoi; Owen Wright, 40, from Lyttelton.
10.37am: Pioneer Stadium is now available for showers. People need to bring their own toiletries and towels.
10.35am: Civil Defence director John Hamilton says the operational response has transitioned seamlessly into the new working week. "Our focus is undiminished in helping the people of Christchurch."
10.30am: Mayor Bob Parker says strong winds are expected to bring warm blustery conditions, making the clean up more difficult. Officials are urging people to secure anything loose lying around their properties. Parker says with around 180,000 tonnes of silt around Christchurch the winds are a concern, especially for people with respiratory problems.
10.15am: The Student Volunteer Army is desperate for more volunteers. More than 20,000 thousand people have joined the group's Facebook page but organisers say the numbers turning up are significantly lower than that. Anybody willing can go to the the UCSA building at Canterbury University with sturdy footwear and tools if they have them. You don't have to be a student to join in.
10.11am: Federated Farmers is calling for any volunteers to report to the A and P Showgrounds.Volunteer labourers are asked to bring shovels, wheelbarrows and personal protection equipment such as gumboots, gloves, sunblock, bottled water.
10.10am: BNZ has reopened nine branches within Christchurch. Stores in Riccarton, Upper Riccarton, Rolleston, Rangiora, Papanui, Leeston, Kaiapoi, Hornby and Akaroa are open until 4.30pm. 39 BNZ ATMs are also open around the city.
10.00am: Red Cross volunteers will be helping out in the suburbs today. Spokesman David Neal says around 30 volunteers are supporting 'Operation Suburb'.
9.33am: All Whites defender Winston Reid is ready to put some of his mementoes from the World Cup up for auction to raise funds for Christchurch.
9.25am: John Key's trip to Moscow, London, Paris and Brussels next month has been postponed because of the earthquake.
To recap: 9.00am
- CBD stickering completed. 25% of buildings have red
stickers.
- two more arrests have been made overnight - one for breaking the
cordon and one for impersonating search and rescue.
- rubber-neckers continue to be an issue in the central city
- the HMNZS Canterbury has set sail from Wellington with supplies
for Christchurch
- the government is expected to announce temporary subsidies for
businesses today
- more Defence force personnel have arrived to help with the clean
up
9.00am: Business leaders believe the quake is an opportunity for Christchurch to become the most modern city in the world. Central City Business Association manager Paul Lonsdale says the future Christchurch will protect residents for at least the next 150 years.
8.50am: WINZ will be at the Diamond Harbour Church Hall from 9am today to discuss financial issues and assistance.
8.35am: The Armageddon Expo planned for Christchurch April 2 and 3 has been postponed.
8.20am: Properties in the Christchurch hill suburb of Clifton are being evacuated this morning because of a crack appearing in a rockface. Civil Defence National Director John Hamilton says residents were asked to leave Kinsey Terrace, Sumner yesterday.
8.00am: Christchurch's army of student volunteers is heading back out into the suburbs for another day of hard work.
7.50am: The main road into Sumner is now closed for rock-face assessment.
7.40am: Psychologist Nigel Latta says if you can use toilet humour to ease the tension, then do it. "Parents are the best therapists for their children."
7.30am: Superintendent Russell Gibson says people trying to breach the cordon will be caught and locked up. He said thousands of people are doing a fantastic job and he is disappointed in the few "idiots" breaking the law.
7.25am: Civil Defence boss John Hamilton says the full USAR rescue effort is continuing in the CBD and they are contacting people in the eastern suburbs. Hamilton says gastro problems are a big concern and if there was a major outbreak it would test the already strained health service.
7.15am: Prime Minister John Key says the quake will have a major impact on the May budget. The government will today outline an economic support package for all those affected. Key says it is a temporary patch for a one month period.
7.10am: Parker is talking about recreating the CBD elsewhere."I want people to go and have a place to work and I want businesses to survive through this."
7.05am: Two more arrests have been made overnight - one for breaking the cordon and one for impersonating search and rescue.
7.00am: CBD stickering completed. 25% of buildings have red stickers.
6.50am: Economist Cameron Bagrie says even an "optimistic" assessment of the impact of the quake will see the economy take a hit in the first quarter.
6.45am: Mayor Bob Parker says the central city cordon could potentially be in place for months. "Our goal is to get all those piles of sand off the streets by the end of the week."
6.44am: Health minister Tony Ryall says services are moving on to a
second wave of problems, minimising any gastro outbreaks. He
expects to see people present with heart and stroke related
illnesses as shock sets in.
6.43am: Sewage water is flowing into the ocean to keep it off the streets and out of properties.
6.40am: Rubber-neckers continue to be an issue in the central city, preventing easy movements of vehicles providing crucial support to the rescue operation.
6.35am: More Defence force personnel have arrived in Christchurch to help with the clean up. Eighty soldiers from North Island territorial units are working to clear sediment from streets and properties.
6.30am: Limited postal services resume tomorrow, depending on what areas have been cleared, what areas are considered safe, and staff availability.
6.25am: The HMNZS Canterbury has set sail from Wellington with supplies for Christchurch. It will take 12 hours for the vessel to get to Lyttelton.
6.18am: Universities and polytechs in Christchurch will not open until at least March 14.
6.15am: Canterbury's Chamber of Commerce hopes business activity around the CBD will compensate for losses where the worst damage is.
6.10am: The government is today expected to announce temporary subsidies for Christchurch-based businesses.
6.05am: A service for the first of the victims will be held today - that for 5-month-old Baxtor Gowland.
5.55am: The focus is still search and rescue., despite no one being found alive since last Wednesday.
5.50am: The search and rescue effort continues as it goes into day seven of the operation.
5.45am: The names of two more quake victims are expected to be released by police this morning.
5.30am: Farmers have poured in from across the country to help the clean up. They hope to clear more than a thousand tonnes of debris today.
5.20am: The confirmed death toll is now at 147, with six publicly identified.
