Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says all but a few Cantabrians will be able to rebuild on their original properties.
Thousands of properties were damaged when a 7.1 magnitude quake on 4 September hit the region.
Mr Brownlee said on Thursday that a peer reviewed geotechnical report has found the vast majority of land damaged can be fixed.
The minister says the good news is in contrast to initial misinformation which suggested large areas of land would be written off as unsafe.
He has set out a timeline to release details of the report to give residents more certainty and help ease their frustration.
The Cabinet will meet on Monday to discuss the information and make plans for informing residents affected by the quake.
Mr Brownlee would not reveal exactly how many people will lose their land but empasised there is very little that can't be saved.
