Vehicle recovery website now up and running

A web application is now available for people who need to register vehicles which remain within the cordoned area of the Christchurch CBD.

A further 363 vehicles were returned to owners yesterday with 79 more owners contacted and making arrangements for collection. That means nearly 750 cars have been returned to owners since Saturday.

Owners who have a vehicle in the cordoned area and still haven't registered their vehicle can now do so by going to www.police.govt.nz.

• Click on the 'Christchurch Car Finder application' link on the home page.
• Enter your registration number
• Enter your details
• Provide helpful additional comment such as whether keys are available.

This process will provide you with a status update advising whether your car has been located or retrieved. The status is updated daily so owners can continue to check once a day on the website for an update.

Once the vehicle is ready for collection and the checks and balances have been carried out the Police Vehicle Recovery Team will contact the owner. Please register a vehicle only once.

Those vehicle owners without web access can register a vehicle on 0800 311 311 between the hours of 8am and 5pm. Remember - please only register a vehicle once.

Owners are reminded that there are still significant safety issues within the CBD and many vehicles are in public car park buildings and in underground parking areas. Even if a vehicle is not damaged and driveable there may be access issues that will delay the return of a vehicle. A large number of vehicles are badly damaged and not driveable. The process of retrieving all vehicles may take some weeks.

Owners are encouraged to continue to check the website application and media releases for updates and advice, as well as The Press newspaper.