About 3000 residents in Kaiapoi and surrounding communities affected by the Canterbury earthquake have been given cash grants of up to $500.
The Kaiapoi area, north of Christchurch, was one of the worst affected by the 7.1 quake on 4 September.
Mayor Ron Keating says the grants, which have virtually drained the Waimakariri Mayoral Relief Fund, have proven critical since the disaster.
He says about 120 families in Kaiapoi and surrounding communities have been forced to find alternative accommodation, because their homes were deemed uninhabitable.
Access is restricted to a further 400 homes in the worst affected areas, and access to Kaiapoi itself is restricted to residents or people on official business.
