Ministerial statement on Canterbury earthquake

On this day two weeks ago, the capital metropolis of Christchurch was ripped apart by a devastating earthquake, measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale.

So far it has been confirmed that 166 loved ones have missed their lives, and we are told that the last death toll could be more than 200.

To suffer so many people at once, including many foreign nationals, is difficult to fathom.