The Government has set aside $2.4 million for trauma counselling for Christchurch earthquake victims, Paula Bennett says.

The state of emergency in Christchurch has been extended a further seven days following an aftershock of 5.1 on the Richter scale this morning.

A golden retriever puppy needed emergency surgery after cutting off the side of his nose running away in panic when the quake hit.

An open source online map has been set up to help Cantabrians find help nearest to them.

Stricken homeowners and workers will start receiving compensation and emergency payouts within days as Christchurch's earthquake bill threatens to exceed $2bn.

Rebuilding up to 100,000 damaged and destroyed homes in quake-hit Canterbury could take years, a building executive says.

Christchurch was "inevitably going to be brought to its knees" by an earthquake because of the nature of the ground it stands on, a scientist says.

"It's essentially a ghost town. You can see utter devastation," said Prime Minister John Key.

"It was like a giant had picked up our house and was just shaking it, shaking and shaking," said one resident.

Services and infrastructure in Christchurch have been seriously affected by this morning's quake. Here is the current situation.

Cities throughout New Zealand will be voting for new leaders as Auckland ushers in the Super City in October. Jarrod Booker examines two very different candidates running for Christchurch mayor.

A Christchurch city councillor won't stand at the next election after a ratepayer-funded US trip to study sandcastles.

A city councillor is keeping her head below the parapet after taking a $4000 ratepayer funded trip to California to study sandcastles.

He's dealt with plenty of sticks and stones in his long political career, but Jim Anderton may yet find that names will hurt him.

Boy racers could be banned from many Papakura streets if a proposed bylaw goes ahead.

Christchurch's Cruising Bylaw 2010 prohibits cruising on selected city streets seven days a week between the hours of 10pm to 5am.

Jim Anderton says he will run against Christchurch incumbent Bob Parker as 'the People's Mayor' in October.