Wellington, Sept 9 NZPA - Waimakariri's overnight curfew will remain in place until at least Monday, Civil Defence controller Bruce Thompson said today.

Waimakariri District Council staff were continuing to assess buildings and roads in Kaiapoi and the nearby communities of Pines Beach and Kairaki following Saturday's 7.1 magnitude quake.

Contractors and volunteers were clearing tonnes of silt and debris from properties and streets, and the town centre opened for the first time since the quake today.

However, the reality was that it would take months, if not years, for Kaiapoi to recover, Mr Thompson said.

"While we are doing everything we can to restore services as quickly as possible, the broken pipes we are currently fixing will ultimately need to be replaced," he said.

"More large scale work will be needed to replace the pipes and mains, which mean there will be ongoing disruption for these communities for some months, and in some instances years, before our sewer and water systems are completely renewed."

Nearly 400 Kaiapoi and Pines Beach/Kairaki homes were under restricted access or were considered unsafe, while 97 had been red stickered, which meant residents had to leave them as they were uninhabitable.

Water had largely been restored to the area but residents must still boil it before using it. However, the sewerage scheme required major repairs.

The Waimakariri district's state of emergency would remain in place until at least next Wednesday.

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