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Some 1200 Canterbury school children will not be able to return to their schools for weeks after last Saturday's 7.1 magnitude earthquake.
Visiting Halswell School this morning, Education Minister Anne Tolley said the school was one of four or five that had been badly damaged in the earthquake and would
need alternative arrangements for their pupils.
"The priority is to get as many schools open as safely and as quickly as we can. There are a number of schools now that we can't get open on Monday, there's no way that they can," Mrs Tolley said.
"It's heart-breaking it really is, we have to make other arrangements for the children, including relocation."
Mrs Tolley said officials relocating pupils were trying to keep to keep pupils from the same schools together as much as possible.
More than 100 Canterbury schools and 300 early childhood centres less damaged in Saturday's quake will be able to reopen on Monday.
Mrs Tolley said the Ministry of Education was working with the schools and teachers so that they would know how to deal with traumatised children.
"The schools have many traumatised staff as well, we have to take this slowly and carefully."
Focus shifts to moving people home
Welfare centres set up after the earthquake are starting to focus on helping people to return home.
Welfare manager Carolyn Gallagher said the centres were set up to provide immediate support and Christchurch was now moving into recovery.
"The city is moving into recovery mode and seeking to return as much routine and normality to as many people's lives as possible," she said.
Ms Gallagher said the centres would work with other agencies to try to find accommodation for those in the centres.
"That may be a return to their own home if it is safe to do so, or a friend's or a family member's home, a holiday park or a hotel," she said.
Last night 214 people stayed in the Addington Raceway welfare centre and a further 102 residents stayed in the Linwood College welfare centre.
Cordons remain
After another night of aftershocks, earthquake-hit Cantabrians woke to the news today that the cordons in Christchurch's CBD would remain for the time being.
"It's our intention to relax the cordon as soon as possible," said Civil Defence controller Michael Mendonca.
"However we have chosen to take a cautious approach at this stage to ensure public safety,"
The situation was being reviewed continually and the cordon remains bounded by Worcester, St Asaph, Madras and Colombo streets.
The latest aftershock in Canterbury measured 4.5 and 4.6 on the Richter scale, and struck shortly after 7am.
The quakes, 20km west of Christchurch and 20km south-east of Darfield have been widely reported on the GNS website and reported as "strong" in Christchurch.
This morning's aftershocks came on the back of a 3.9 aftershock with a focal depth of 4km and a 4.3 shortly after midnight.
Kaiapoi
Yesterday officials in Kaiapoi gave a grim account of the tough job faced there.
"While we are doing everything we can to restore services as quickly as possible, the broken pipes we are currently fixing will ultimately need to be replaced," Civil Defence controller Bruce Thompson said.
"More large scale work will be needed to replace the pipes and mains, which mean there will be ongoing disruption for these communities for some months, and in some instances years, before our sewer and water systems are completely renewed."
officials have warned it could take months, if not years, for the town of Kaiapoi to recover.
The pain in the North Canterbury town was exacerbated yesterday by news that its New World supermarket will have to close because of damage, leaving 86 people out of work.
New World's owner, Foodstuffs New Zealand, and the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce are working to find them all new jobs.
Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said every house in the city should have water by the end of the week, but there were problems with wastewater in some areas.
Portable toilets have been installed in streets where needed.
Kaiapoi's town centre opened yesterday for the first time since the quake, but a curfew remained in place last night.
Civil Defence controller Bruce Thompson said it could be years before the town's shattered sewer and water systems were completely restored.
Nearly 400 homes in and around Kaiapoi are under restricted access or considered unsafe.
Christchurch City Council service update:
* The CBD cordon remains in place. Police, engineers and Civil Defence staff are assessing the area. The Cordon will be lifted progressively and updates will be available during the day.
* The Central City and Akaroa libraries have opened today, with normal hours today and over the weekend. All other libraries are closed until further assessments have been completed.
*All Council recreation and sport centres and swimming pools remain closed until further notice.
* The Bus Exchange is not operating today, but buses are running. Visit www.metroinfo.co.nz for more information and times.
* The tram is fully operational.
* It is still expected that city water supply will be completely restored by the end the weekend. An impressive 280 pipes have been fixed in less than six days - the equivalent of a year's worth of repairs.
* For updated information on road closures visit http://www.ccc.govt.nz/thecouncil/newsmedia/mediareleases/2010/201009089
* All Banks Peninsula cemeteries are closed, as are the Bromley and Linwood cemeteries, as headstones and monuments are being assessed for safety. Some burials are continuing, but people are advised to check with their funeral directors.
* It is now safe to drink tap water in Christchurch City and Banks Peninsula and the boil-water notice has been lifted.
- With NZPA and NZHERALD Staff
