A study to determine the risk of rockfall in Christchurch's Port Hills is expected to cost at least $500,000.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority has contracted local and international geotechnical experts to develop a computer programme to model likely rockfall in any future earthquakes.
The information will be used to determine the zoning for more than 2000 homes on the Port Hills, and to decide if notices stopping use of 500 of the homes can be lifted.
The authority says the affected area covers about 14 kilometres so they have had to make use of cutting edge technology to give people some certainty about their land.
