Wellington authorities are currently assessing the state of damage after a series of earthquakes, the biggest of which registered 6.5 on the Richter Scale, hit the city on Sunday, July 21.

Reports on Monday indicate that the city has escaped with relatively minor damage. Officials spent most of Monday morning examining buildings in the city to ensure they were safe for workers to re-enter.

Train services were suspended and some streets in the CBD were closed until building checks were completed.

Telcommunications infrastructure company, Chorus, reported that its open network was running normally. However, 24 buildings where Chorus staff work, across Wellington, Seddon and Blenheim, had been closed pending structural examinations to ensure they are safe to re-enter. This included exchange buildings and office buildings. The company expected these buildings to become progressively cleared for re-entry throughout the day. It was also awaiting Civil Defence clearance to re-enter central Wellington. In statement, Chorus said, due to the inability to access certain buildings there might be some disruption to the provision of services to end users. The company would contact any end users directly if it was unable to meet prior appointments.