More than 200 severely quake-damaged state houses in Christchurch have been repaired at cost of just under $19 million.
Housing Minister Phil Heatley says some of the properties were so badly damaged by the February 2011 quake that it was debatable whether they could be fixed.
He says the 212 finished properties are being matched to families on Housing New Zealand's waiting list.
Of the 750 state-owned homes made uninhabitable by the quakes, about a third are in the red zone, and another third are likely to be demolished and the sections redeveloped.
Mr Heatley says Housing New Zealand will now focus on building between 250 and 300 new homes.
