Thousands of properties in the Banks Peninsula have been rezoned from white to green, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority has announced.
This means that owners of the 5443 rezoned properties can start rebuilding or repairing their homes if they were damaged by the earthquakes.
The future of the area had been uncertain since February when it was zoned white, meaning the land needed further assessment.
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says almost all of Banks Peninsula is now in the green zone.
Only 20 properties n the Church Bay and eastern Diamond Harbour area need further investigation before a decision is made.
Mr Brownlee says the area has been rezoned green because it experienced less shaking during the quake and there have been no reports of area-wide land damage from residents.
He says the main danger engineers assessed was rockfall.
Last month, 9700 properties in the Port Hills area were rezoned from white to green.
