The head of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority hopes to reveal how much land will be available for rebuilding in Christchurch within weeks.
Roger Sutton told Morning Report that residents in the west of the city are able to get on with their lives but for those in the east, things remain very tough.
Mr Sutton says people with properties in the red zones now need certainty over how much land will be available to build on.
His goal is that within two weeks he will say how much land is going to be on the market over the next year.
Building prices 'likely to rise throughout NZ'
Westpac bank chief economist Dominick Stephens says reconstruction activity in Canterbury is likely to push up building costs around the country.
Mr Stephens expects reconstruction in Canterbury to pick up through 2012 and peak in 2013.
He says demand for construction work will be hard to meet and the cost of building will skyrocket. More activity could also lead to higher interest rates.
Waimakariri mayor to keep working for subdivision
Waimakariri mayor David Ayers says he will work with property developers to get a proposed subdivision underway in Kaiapoi as soon as possible.
Kaiapoi was one of the areas in Canterbury worst affected by the September quake.
Last month the Government announced that 860 properties in Kaiapoi would have to be abandoned.
The mayor says a subdivision planned for the town has been granted only partial approval, delaying the availability of sections.
The decision was made by commissioners appointed by the Waimakariri District Council, and Mr Ayers says it means the development will now have to pause.
He says the commissioners have ruled that areas closer to the town should be developed first.
