New Zealand's largest building company, Fletcher Construction, has halted its residential repair programme for the Earthquake Commission, as a result of Tuesday's earthquake.
The shallow 6.3-magnitude quake struck at 12.51pm on Tuesday, 10km south-east of the central city, causing many deaths and widespread devastation.
Fletcher Construction says it and EQC are working together to identify urgent requirements for repairs to ensure buildings are safe, secure, sanitary and weathertight.
The company says it is vital to the recovery process that homeowners use established EQC channels for any communication relevant to existing claims.
The EQC number to contact is 0800 DAMAGE.
