New Zealand will hold a national memorial service on March 18th to mark the loss of life from February's earthquake in Christchurch.

Two minutes' silence will be observed at the exact moment the quake struck, while flags on government buildings will be lowered to half-mast. The government is to make the date a provincial public holiday, so local people can attend the event.

The death toll from the quake currently stands at 166, but is expected to rise to 200. Around 10-thousand homes are facing demolition. Officials say economic losses currently stand at around 15 billion New Zealand dollars.