He also proclaimed a national remembrance day on March 18th, with gatherings planned for Christchurch’s Hagley Park.
The Treasury department announced on Sunday that the rebuilding cost of the earthquake would cost New Zealand $15bn.
There was a sigh or relief when members of the rescue team searching through the debris from the tower of the Cathedral in Christchurch, found no victims.
At this time the total who perished in the quake is at 166 but could go as high as 200.
The bodies found are being identified by fingerprints, DNA and dental x-rays. Sometimes personal things can help identify a person, such as a watch, or a necklace they are known to wear.
Identifying all the bodies could take a long time. The relatives waiting to hear the news of a loved one are troubled as they wait. Dealing with the emotions that will surface once the dreaded news has been given them.
A lot of precautions are being taken to be sure that the right body is returned to the right family. This happened in a previous disaster and there is no desire of a repeat situation.
Many historic buildings and dwellings will have to be torn down.
The soil in parts of Christchurch has deteriorated because of the increase silt and water that has been started by the earthquake. This has resulted in the soil not being stable enough to build on.
A privately owned building material company has started doing emergency repairs to homes as their part of helping out with the earthquake relief efforts.
The people who live in the central zone areal of Christchurch has just now been permitted access back to their homes to view the damages to their homes.
It is planned to have the power back on at 99% of the homes in the city by Monday late night.
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