Civil Defence Minister John Carter says the best way for New Zealanders to help Christchurch is to send cash.

"Businesses wanting to offer expertise, and people wanting to volunteer, are asked to please wait and not send staff and resources, or go to Christchurch themselves.

When local authorities have a clear idea of what is needed and are in a position to manage goods and volunteers they will advise publicly what is needed and where."

Telecom has started a campaign to collect analogue landline phones from around the country to distribute to people in Christchurch without power, who only have cordless landline phones that are reliant on power. The 'old fashioned' corded analogue phones plug straight into a jack-point and don't require mains power.

John Ferguson from Trade and Enterprise is collecting laptops to send to businesses in Christchurch. He is asking people with working laptops they wish to donate to send them to New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, well packed with the hardware and software specifications listed on the outside of the box to John Ferguson, Sector Manager -- Digital Content & Technology, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, Level 11, 23-27 Albert St, Auckland.