A start date has been announced for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Canterbury and Christchurch Earthquakes.
The first stage will begin on 17 October at the St Teresa Church Hall in Christchurch and will last about a week.
It will focus on the magnitude and frequency of the earthquakes and what impact they had on the overall seismic risk in Christchurch and the rest of New Zealand.
Hearings on buildings which collapsed will not begin until later in the year, to allow for a separate investigation by the Department of Building & Housing to be completed.
The Royal Commission will produce a final report by 11 April next year.
