About 30 business owners and landlords protested outside Civil Defence headquarters in Christchurch on Thursday, angry at being denied access to their properties in the city centre to retrieve belongings.
They are also worried that some of their buildings are being demolished without their consent.
Protest organiser and business owner, Kurt Langer, says it is unfair that officials and visiting dignataries are allowed into the cordoned-off red zone, but people whose livelihoods at stake are not.
Protesters held banners with phrases, including "Help, we are about to lose everything".
The group called out to Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee, who could be seen inside the building, to come outside and address them. He did not respond.
