There have been two fatalities after a series of huge earthquakes overnight, Prime Minister John Key says.
Authorities were scrambling this morning to assess damage and respond to reports of injuries after the first, 7.5 magnitude earthquake centred near Hanmer Springs.
The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management confirmed there had been two deaths from the earthquake.
One person died in a house that collapsed in Kaikoura, and a second person died at a house in Mt Lyford, north of Christchurch.
Mr Key said a Defence Force helicopter would be flying to Kaikoura and another one would be available in Wellington.
An Urban Search and Rescue team from Christchurch was also on its way to Kaikoura by helicopter, along with two further assessment teams deployed to Waiau and Blenheim.
As a result of the quake, Mr Key cancelled his proposed trade trip to Argentina, and will decide later this week whether to attend APEC in Peru next weekend.
Nelson Marlborough District Health Board said five people had been admitted to Wairau Hospital by early this morning with various injuries, some described as moderate.
The first quake struck at 12.02am, near Hanmer Springs, at a depth of 15km. It was followed by a series of large earthquakes across New Zealand up to 6.2 in magnitude, which prompted tsunami alerts, causing residents of coastal areas to flee inland.
GNS science said there had been about 250 aftershocks since the massive shake just after midnight, with 33 of them above…