Engineering inspections will continue on Tuesday in Christchurch, after a spate of aftershocks which have closed part of the central city: 115 buildings are damaged.
The quakes, the biggest of which measured magnitude 4.9 on the Richter scale at 10.30am on Boxing Day, have damaged 115 buildings.
Glass, bricks and masonry lay in the streets afterwards. Sections of some inner city streets are still cordoned off.
Five thousand buildings needed inspection. Three thousand have been checked so far, with 115 marked as needing work before they are declared safe.
Acting Mayor Ngaire Button hopes the cordons may be lifted by the end of the week.
The fire service says lifting the cordons depends on building owners completing engineering checks and repairs.
