Four hundred residents in the Christchurch suburb of Southshore remain in limbo as a decision on the future of their quake damaged homes has once again been put off.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (Cera) aimed to have a decision on what is the only orange zone left in the city by the end of April.
But chief executive Roger Sutton says the situation is complex and is taking longer to sort out than initially thought.
He has apologised for the delay but says it is important to get it right.
Meanwhile, a petition calling for red-zoned land along the Avon River to be turned into a park is on its way to Parliament.
More than 18,000 Christchurch residents have signed the petition.
"For so long we've had so much anger and anguish and frustration. We need something positive to look at," Evan Smith from the Avon Otakaro Trust.
The petition will be presented on the steps of parliament tomorrow.