A small business owner in Christchurch says he is concerned the state of emergency in the city is wrecking business regeneration.
Joe Arts runs a printing and mail order greeting cards business within the cordon. His building was earthquake-strengthened, and is still standing after last month's shake.
However, he hasn't been able to see it, have an independent engineer assess it and does not know whether it has received a sticker yet.
Mr Arts says he has been told he can take one 44-gallon drum's worth of equipment out of his premises, but that means he has to leave his printing presses and cannot restart his business without them.
He says the state of emergency and the cordon are putting people off restarting businesses in Christchurch.
