Recovery efforts at the devastated Canterbury TV building in central Christchurch have officially ended, with no further positive identifications.

Fire Service search co-ordinator Paul Baxter told a joint media conference on Sunday that every piece of debris at the site had been sifted through by workers, and they were satisfied nothing more could be done.

The official death toll from the Feb. 22 quake has risen to 166 after a body was found under rubble in the central business district. Authorities still expected the toll to reach 200, despite finding no bodies in the Christchurch cathedral, where 22 bodies were initially believed to be buried.

Superintendent Sam Hoyle said on Sunday that it could take months before all victims recovered are identified.

"No one is more aware than the DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) team that many families are waiting for their loved ones to be returned to them, especially those who are our guests from overseas," he said.

"We know the wait is difficult, but we absolutely must get this right," he added.

He said the "severe nature of the injuries" meant some families might never recover the bodies of loved ones.

Half of the cordons have been lifted in Christchurch's central city, and business owners and tenants have been streaming in to survey damage and retrieve valuables.

Mayor Bob Parker said it was crucial to get the city's business center back on its feet, as it was home to 15 percent of the national workforce.

Many residents were only stopping to collect their furniture from their central city homes, before leaving their apartments for good.

The area was opened to the public at 2 p.m..

Parker said 95 percent of the city now have power, and 81 percent have water.

Workers have now removed 260,000 tonnes of silt from roads and properties.