Some Christchurch business owners say delays in getting quake-damaged commercial buildings repaired or rebuilt are causing some areas to struggle.
Saturday marks three years since the February 2011 earthquake, but businesses in the shopping areas of Sumner, New Brighton and the North Canterbury town of Rangiora are still battling to recover from the impact.
A Sumner bed and breakfast owner, Martine Marshall-Durieux, says she believes a delay in insurance settlements is holding up progress and scaring away potential customers.
In New Brighton, florist Pauline Turner's income has halved since the quakes, with many customers moving elsewhere because of damage to their homes.
Ms Turner says some of the shops around her have closed and she has also lost a lot of income from the population drop in eastern Christchurch, coupled with people's concern about visiting the suburb because of damaged roads
She says she would love to see the council support the concept of hot pools on the New Brighton beachfront, as a way of attracting people back to the suburb.