New Zealand's strict building codes are being praised for minimising the injuries and damage caused by the magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Canterbury on Saturday.
A similar-sized earthquake in Haiti on 12 January killed up to 300,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless.
Earthquake engineer Greg Szakats, of the CPG consultancy, told Morning Report that work by those in his profession, seismologists and law-makers has made all the difference.
He said he expects it will take Civil Defence a week or two to properly assess the damage.
