Earthquake

Geologists are combing the ground in the wake of the 7.8M Kaikōura earthquake looking for clues, to understand what happened when 9 faults rupture at the same time.

While limited access has been achieved to and from Kaikōura, three weeks after the big one, many in surrounding settlements remain cut off. Audio

The parking building, in the capital city's CBD, was badly damaged during the recent 7.8 magnitude quake.

The government is expecting economic growth of 3.6 percent this year, easing to about 2.3 percent by 2021, ahead of its May forecast.

Today's convoy from Mount Lyford to Kaikōura has been cancelled after the road was closed this morning due to rain and low cloud.

Kaikōura tourist operators are demanding answers about the main road south, accusing authorities of leaving them in the dark.

An undersea earthquake off Indonesia's northern Aceh province has killed at least 97 people, local officials say.

The Wellington City Council has been given special powers to get information on earthquake-vulnerable buildings.

The quake-damaged stretch of State Highway One south of Kaikōura could be reopened within the next couple of weeks.

Life is finally getting back to normal for Kaikōura dairy farmer Simon Mackle after last month's massive earthquake. Video

The state of local emergency in Kaikōura has been extended for another seven days.

Rural insurance company FMG has received about 700 insurance claims from 500 businesses.

Dairy farmers in Kaikōura have had their milk picked up this morning for the first time since the 7.8 earthquake three weeks weeks ago.

The demolition of the northeastern area of Queensgate Mall in Lower Hutt is under way.

Ross Ward and his wife are living in a borrowed horse truck after last month's quake. They're one of at least nine families in Marlborough forced from their homes.

Part of an iconic rock formation in Taranaki, known as Elephant Rock, has collapsed, with the elephant's 'trunk' completely wiped out.

Coastal shipping will be under pressure to cope if South Island roads fail to hold up under extra traffic created by the Kaikōura earthquake, KiwiRail says.

The tourist town escaped relatively unscathed from the 14 November quake but holidaymakers have still been staying away.

Drivers on the new main route between Picton and Christchurch following the earthquakes faced long delays today.

More than 300 rental vehicles and tourist buses left abandoned in Kaikōura after the earthquake will start being driven out of the town tomorrow morning.