The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority is halfway through the planned demolitions of damaged commercial buildings in Christchurch.
Chief executive Roger Sutton says it is expected that 1200 commercial buildings will have to be demolished due to earthquake damage.
Just over 600 of those have been completed, and another 112 are underway.
Mr Sutton says all the buildings that needed to be demolished in the central shopping area of Cashel Mall have been brought down, and a partial reopening of the area by the end of this month is on schedule.
He says plans for bus tours for residents through the cordoned off red zone are underway and more details will be released next week.
