State of shock: How our buildings save lives but little else
Eight years on, the rumbling continues. The ground beneath remains unstable.
In Wellington and Christchurch, modern buildings constructed to the highest official standards and earthquake ratings lie empty; some will be repaired at great cost while others are set for demolition and replacement.
Apartment owners in the capital face insurance hikes and earthquake-strengthening costs that threaten not only their life savings and sanity but also the very idea of inner-city living.
Beyond those faultlines smaller communities are struggling as well, retail centres emptied by the inexorable rise in premiums, strengthening costs and regulation.
And even our biggest city, seemingly neither shaken nor stirred by the tremors so far south of the Bombay Hills, cannot relax: experts predict Auckland is just as vulnerable as any other centre. It's just a matter of time.
Photo credit: Kevin Stent on stuff.co.nz